The Icebringer
by Sango-Is-Alone
Summary: After the events of Borderlands 2, Jack escapes before he can be killed and causes more problems for our Vault Hunters! Our heroes meet a new ally, discover more about Sirens, meet an Eridian, and go on some awesome adventures! Spoilers obviously. OC/Mordecai, Zero/Maya.
1. The Only Thing Left

**Explanation: This is my first Borderlands story! I had this story in mind DURING Borderlands 2, but I decided to make a new story so it's AFTER Borderlands 2.** **There are a few things though:**

**1.) At the end of Borderlands 2, Handsome Jack escapes (wounded but alive).  
2.) The Warrior is still defeated, the Vault Key is with the Vault Hunters, and Roland and Bloodwing are still dead.  
****3.) In this story, the theory about Jack's grandmother branding the Vault symbol on his face is true.  
4.) The theory (I say theory about this because there is a discrepancy in this explanation) about Angel killing her mother is not true.  
5.) I use Zero, not Zer0 and I probably won't use haiku cause I don't want to have to figure them out in dialogue. SORRY!**

**I may or may not use Gaige or Krieg in this story. We'll see what happens as the story goes on.**

**Also, possible romances!**

**Hope you guys enjoy the story!**

* * *

Maya and Zero were sent out to find information about Handsome Jack's whereabouts out in the deserts of Wurmwater. Zero laid on his stomach against a dusty rock that protruded from a giant cliff, his sniper rifle close to his face as he scanned the surrounding sands. Maya sat behind him, leaning against the cliff while she waved her hand by her face.

"Of course we get stuck with the desert." Maya grumbled.

Zero set aside his Maliwan sniper and stood up off the rock, keeping his face towards the expansive desert, "I don't think we'll find another Hyperion caravan."

Maya sighed, "Maybe we should just EHCO Lilith and see if she'll tell us to go somewhere cooler? Heck, I'd prefer freezing to death over this."

Zero nodded, grabbing his sniper to jump off the rock they were on, landing perfectly in the sand. Maya sat up and jumped off after him, rolling on the ground to avoid hurting her ankles and feet. Zero offered his hand and helped Maya up while she blushed a little bit, stumbling to keep her balance on the loose sand.

Maya contacted Lilith through ECHO, "Lilith, we haven't found a trace of anything here in Wurmwater. There aren't any caravans and the Washburne Refinery had nothing inside. Looks like all the Hyperion robots are gone from this area."

"Alright, come on back and I'll find somewhere else for you guys to look." Lilith explained, her voice sounding distracted.

_Probably keeping herself busy..._ Maya thought to herself before answering back, "Got it. See you soon." Maya signed off before walking with Zero towards the direction of Oasis.

The two trekked in silence for a long time before Maya spoke up, "Do you think Jack survived the wounds we gave him at the Vault?"

"That man is crazy enough to survive anything." Zero answered, "Until we actually finish him off, he'll live on to finish what he set out to do."

"But what does he have left? We killed the Warrior, his daughter is gone, the Vault Key is with us, and he is mortally wounded." Maya brushed some of her blue hair from her face.

"Jack was always one step ahead of us. Even though we overcame each of his moves, he did kill many people and he could kill us at any moment." Zero stopped suddenly, placing his arm in front of Maya to stop her. He pulled his sniper off of his back and looked through the scope ahead at the small silhouettes he saw before them in the distance.

"We may have found something worthwhile." Zero commented, "It's a caravan."

"Finally!" Maya smiled, "Now we get some action!"

"Can you phaselock from this distance?"

"Oh, you know I can." Maya grinned wider as she reached her hand before her and quickly balled her hand into a fist. Her tattoos glowed as her phaselock grabbed onto a Hyperion robot, forcing the other three there to crash into the trapped RPG Loader. Maya ran forward, sliding around on the sand while Zero walked forward slowly, aiming with his sniper rifle to watch as the robots all fell apart. Right before phaselock dropped the trapped robot, Zero stopped and shot the red eye on the RPG Loader, gaining a critical hit.

Zero ran after Maya gracefully, the sand not affecting him like it was with Maya. Once they reached the caravan, Maya stopped to lean over and place her hands on her knees, panting while Zero walked to the large case the Hyperion robots were escorting.

Maya caught up and leaned over the case, looking it up and down in wonder.

The case was made of the typical Hyperion yellow metal but with a blue opaque glass over the middle, hiding what's inside the case.

Zero grabbed Maya's arm and pulled her back gently, "There's someone underneath the caravan."

"What?" Maya asked as Zero laid on the ground quickly while reaching under the caravan to pull out a Hyperion soldier that was hiding from them.

"No no no! Please leave me alone!" The soldier cowered and put his hands up as he sat on the ground before Zero and Maya.

"Where are you taking this caravan?" Maya asked threateningly, towering over him.

"W-w-we were taking it from Washburne Refinery to Eridium Blight! Please! Whatever you do, don't open it!"

Maya smacked the soldier with her pistol to knock him out, "We may need him to spill the beans later."

"Call Brick. We're going to need him to carry this with us." Zero mentioned.

Maya nodded and called Brick, "Brick, we have something we need you to carry. It's from a Hyperion caravan in Wurmwater just by the Washburne Refinery."

"Coming!" Brick quickly ended the call to head to a travel station.

"Lilith, we found a Hyperion caravan heading towards Eridium Blight. Brick is coming to carry it for us but the soldier warned us to not open the case." Maya informed.

"I'm sure it's nothing you two can't handle. Go ahead and open it, but be careful." Lilith advised.

Maya looked over at Zero, "Should we?"

"He was probably lying to get us to not open this. Whatever is in this case must be important if Jack wants it transported while he is in hiding. I think we should open it and see what we're dealing with." Zero put his sniper back and pulled out his sword.

Maya looked down at the case before pulling out her electric infinity pistol, "Alright."

Zero stood to the right side of the case where the buttons were and pressed a few, waiting for a reaction. After a delay, the case propped open a little, letting out a hissing noise. Zero grabbed onto the case's cover and pushed it open, a red question mark appearing on his face while Maya's eyes widened at what was inside the case.

A familiar voice came on over their ECHO, barging in like he used to in their adventures. Jack pleaded weakly, "Don't hurt her. She's all I have."

* * *

**Whoo! Finally done with Chapter 1! I'm excited to get this story going (= Hope you guys are excited for more!**


	2. Legendary Eyes

**Time to get this Borderlands train rolling!**

* * *

Zero and Maya looked down at the woman that rested inside of the Hyperion case. She breathed softly, her hands placed on her stomach with a serene look on her face, and her long curly purple hair draped over her shoulders like water.

Maya's eyes were brought to her tattoo, "She's a Siren!"

"Leave her alo-brrzztt." Jack's voice was cut off when Maya turned off her ECHO.

"Jack had two Sirens? Who is she to him?" Maya asked Zero, looking towards the masked assassin.

"You think I know? It makes little sense to me either." Zero answered.

A light purring from a sand-skiff came from the distance heading their way. Zero looked through his rifle to see Brick approaching.

Once Brick came closer he jumped off the skiff and walked to Maya and Zero, his hulking mass pressing down the sand.

"Brick, you're not going to believe what Jack was transporting." Maya stated, crossing her arms and putting her weight on her left side.

Brick came up to the case and looked inside, "What the hell? Slab, what did you find out?"

"Nothing. All we know is Jack wanted her transported to Eridium Blight. Apparently they had her at Washburne Refinery before this." Zero answered.

"I see you got us a new informant." Brick took notice of the unconscious soldier beside them.

"He's an easy one to crack. Hopefully he actually does know more information." Maya added.

"Does she need this case?" Brick asked.

Maya shrugged while Zero had a question mark appear before his visor.

Brick took the chance and reached into the case and picked up the Siren bridal style. Her tattoo glowed lightly and her eyes open very slightly to show one purple and one blue iris before they closed again. Brick carried her over to the sand-skiff and placed her beside the driver's side. He then walked back over and grabbed the Hyperion soldier and threw him over his shoulder.

"I'll hold onto him to make sure he doesn't run. Maya, you drive." Brick climbed onto the sand-skiff and crouched in front of the driving handles.

Zero climbed up onto the skiff next to the Siren to make sure she wouldn't fall off as Maya started up the vehicle.

They traveled across the desert, randomly running over the occasional pirate and sandworm. Maya kept glancing over at the Siren, hoping she would have answers about Siren lineage. Knowing how scarce information about Sirens were, Maya always got hopeful whenever there was a lead to knowing why Sirens have powers and why there can only be 6 at a time.

Her eyes traveled to Zero who kept moving the Siren so she wouldn't fall off from the bumpy ride. He eventually propped her up against his arm to keep her still. Maya felt a pang of jealousy that struck her as odd. He looked like he was so gentle to this stranger who could be very dangerous. That gentleness was another thing she admired about him.

Before they had to find the Vault of the Warrior, Maya admired each of her companions' abilities but she admired Zero the most. A man of mystery always gained attention from girls and Maya never really understood why until she started knowing Zero more. He was a lot more open now and the more she hung around him, the more she wanted to know about his past.

Maya shook her head and focused on getting the travel station in Oasis, pulling into the Catch-A-Ride station.

Brick hopped off with the soldier on his shoulder and walked over to Zero, "I'll get her."

Zero stepped to the side so Brick could reach his arm under the Siren and place her against his chest and shoulders. Her arms hung behind his shoulders as he held his arm under her butt and thighs so she was sitting on him. Zero and Maya followed behind Brick as they all jogged to the outskirts of Oasis. Once they reached the travel station, Maya selected Sanctuary and they were thrown into the blue vortex that transported them to their home.

They walked through Sanctuary until they reached the Crimson Raiders headquarters and walked up the stairs.

Brick stopped to let Maya and Zero walk ahead so Maya could explain to Lilith. Maya walked up to the table in the center of the room and called to Lilith and Mordecai to come in. Zero turned off the blue light above the table so Brick could place the Siren on it.

Lilith walked into the room, "Sup."

"There was a Siren in the case." Maya stated simply as Brick placed the Siren on the table gently.

Lilith walked up to the table, "Whoa, what? Jack had a back up Siren?"

Mordecai took a seat in the far corner of the room, leaning back while drinking from a green bottle, "This is interesting."

Maya spoke up, "I was thinking about why Jack would have a Siren stored away... I mean, wouldn't he have charged the Vault Key even faster if he used both Angel and this one together?"

Lilith nodded, "I would assume so."

Brick placed the soldier off to the side, causing Lilith to look over at him, "Did that guy say anything else?"

Maya shook her head, "When we opened the case, Jack came back on the EC-"

"He did?!" Lilith spoke loudly, "Why didn't you tell me?"

Maya sighed, "I eventually turned off my ECHO. I didn't want him to say any lies. He was already playing the guilt card by saying this Siren is all he has left. He was acting just like he did in Angel's chamber."

"Check your ECHO and see if he said anything else." Lilith ordered, picking up the Siren's tattooed arm, taking notice of something strange.

Maya clicked on her ECHO and listened before turning it back off again, "I have 31 messages."

Each person in the room looked shocked, except for Zero with his little question mark icon that he seemed to be using a lot lately.

"She must be really important." Brick commented.

Maya turned on her ECHO's speaker so the entire group could listen:

_You stay away from her! I swear that I will rip you all to shreds if you do not back away now._

_... Please just leave her alone. She didn't do anything to any of you!_

_That's it, if you don't answer me I will torture each of your loved ones!_

Each message was a mix of pleas and threats which caused even more confusion.

"The last time Jack sounded like this was when we were meeting Angel." Zero noted.

Lilith lifted up the Siren's tattooed arm, "There are weird scars on her arm here. They look like circles on the top of her hand and above her elbow."

Maya walked over and inspected the scars, "How does someone get circular scars like this?"

"She's married." Mordecai simply stated, his keen eye sight noticed the small gold wedding band on her left hand.

"Whoa. Jack kidnapped a married Siren and held her captive for who knows how long? That's a whole new level of messed up." Lilith remarked, putting the Siren's arm down.

As soon as her arm touched the table again, the Siren's purple and blue eyes fluttered open, causing Lilith to jump back.

"Icebringer!" Lilith spoke out, "The rumors are true!"

"Icebringer?" Maya asked, watching as the Siren's duo colored eyes were looking around the room from where she lay.

"Where... Am I?" The Siren called Icebringer asked, lifting herself up to look at everyone in the room.

"Pandora." Maya simply answered, glancing over to Lilith as she stared in disbelief.

"Oh no." Icebringer put a hand on her forehead, "Did John build Opportunity?"

"John? You mean Handsome Jack?" Lilith asked, "How do you know about him?"

"Handsome... Jack?" Icebringer shook her head, "_John_ is my husband."

* * *

**I was watching He's Just Not That Into You while typing this and it was a huge distraction, so this took longer than expected to type lol My bad.**


	3. The Wife of a Psychopath

**Now is a good time for everyone to either remember or learn that before Handsome Jack was called that he went by John. No one is sure if that's his real name or he has two fake names or whatever but it's in multiple ECHO logs in the game. **

**In this story, his real name is John. So that's all in the clear just in case there was any confusion.**

* * *

"_You're_ married to Handsome Jack?!" Maya yelled out, staring at Icebringer in disbelief.

"Wait! Let me explain-" Icebringer went to explain before Mordecai cut her off.

"Do you know what he's done to us?!" Mordecai walked up to her in a fury, "How could you be married to that asshole?"

"He wasn't always an ass-" Icebringer was cut off again by Maya.

"Oh I'm so sure that the psychopath _used _to be kindhearted." She stated sarcastically, "I'm pretty sure one day I could do the very same thing."

"Just... Stop it..." Icebringer said weakly under the rants and shouts of the people around her. The yelling brought the attention of Salvador and Axton who ran up the stairs in time to see their companions yelling at a stranger.

"What is going on here?" Axton asked, jogging lightly toward the table to stand beside Zero.

Zero and Brick remained silent as Mordecai slammed his hands on the table, causing Icebringer to jump, "She's Jack's wife!"

"What the hell?" Axton's face changed to that of confusion, "I thought he said Angel killed his wife?"

"Well apparently that never happened." Mordecai snapped.

Lilith spoke up, "How can you be married to him?"

Icebringer placed her hands on her temples and shook her head, mumbling to herself. She started losing herself within the screaming accusations, awakening the beast that was locked inside of her.

The tattoos on her arm lit up, causing ice to climb up from her fingers towards her upper arms. Her eyes gained lighter shades while blue wings appeared from her back.

"STOP!" She screamed, the room growing cold from the ice growing on her arms.

Each person in the room was frozen, radiating a purple and black aura. The power resembled Maya's phaselock but wasn't in a particular shape. Nobody could move or say a word as they were forced to look upon Icebringer.

She breathed out harshly, "I'm sorry but you have to let me speak." Icebringer released everyone, the ice creeping back down towards her fingers until no trace was to be found. Her wings remained though while her tattoos blinked slowly with a light blue color.

"Will you all please let me tell my story?" Icebringer asked, looking down at the table.

Lilith was the only one to speak, "Yes." She looked over at each Vault Hunter, waiting for anyone to interject. No one did however, so the story went on:

"Before John joined the Hyperion Corp., he was a charming man that swept me off of my feet. I was living on an academy station near Athenas where I occasionally ran into him. It didn't take long for me to fall in love and I honestly felt like he loved me as well. There was a time before we were married that we weren't together for a long time. Eventually though, we did get back together and were married. After he joined the Hyperion Corp., he became distant and talked less about our future plans we made together. He wanted us to be rich so that he could, as he put it, '_take care of me_'. Eventually he brought me here to Pandora and talked about getting rid of the bandits and building a city called Opportunity. I fought him about it constantly to the point where he encased me.._._"

Icebringer sighed as she rubbed her arm, "I don't know how long I've been asleep, why he's so hellbent on taking over Pandora, or what happened to him to make him this way but I do know that I am not your enemy." She looked up and scanned the faces of each person, "I don't want John to hurt anyone here. All I've wanted was for him to toss this idea out of his head and for us to go home."

"Even if any of this is true, you're too late. He's killed his fair share of people and has tormented us for years." Mordecai stated harshly, never taking his eyes off of Icebringer.

"You two never had kids?" Maya asked, ignoring Mordecai's distrust.

Icebringer shook her head, "We wanted to but I'm not... Capable."

"Jack did have a daughter... A Siren named Angel." Axton explained, soon regretting what he said after seeing the hurt in Icebringer's eyes.

"Where is... Angel?" Icebringer asked.

"She's dead. Jack was using her to charge a key to an Eridian Vault here." Mordecai answered while crossing his arms.

Icebringer placed her head in her hands, hiding her face, "I... I wish I could have stopped him from doing all of this... I'm sorry for what he's done to you all."

"Sal, stay here with her. Lilith, we need to talk." Mordecai stormed out of the room to head downstairs.

Lilith followed behind with Maya, Zero, Brick, and Axton. Axton shut the door behind them before heading downstairs to ensure their conversation was private.

"You guys aren't believing this crap are you?" Mordecai turned around and asked, leaning against the wall.

"Her story makes sense in a way. I mean, who in their right mind would marry Jack if they knew what he was capable of?" Axton spoke up.

"I don't believe a Siren would involve herself willingly with a man obsessed with power like him." Zero added, recalling what Jack did to Angel and Lilith and the possibility of what he would have done to Maya if given the chance.

"Her story doesn't make sense at all. She just happens to have been sleeping the entire time her husband was running around killing everybody? This has to be a trap! Jack knew we'd be scouting every trail Hyperion has left behind in order to find him. All he had to do was make it so we would happen upon his trapped and innocent Siren wife and then he could have a dangerous informant within our group! I mean, did you fucking see her arms? They were covered in ice!" Mordecai went off on a rant, pacing around and throwing his arms about in frustration.

"Mordecai, that's part of her being Icebringer. The Icebringer is a legendary Siren that was able to directly transfer her powers onto the next host. The Siren next in line for the powers would have the previous power, plus a new unique power and gained a new form made completely of ice." Lilith explained, "My grandmother used to tell me stories of previous Icebringers. They're distinctive by their duo colored eyes just like the one upstairs."

"You just added to my point, Lil. She's dangerous. Jack could have easily sought her out and convinced her to go along with his plan." Mordecai gripped onto his bottle of Rakk-Ale tightly, "We can't trust her."

"A decision must be made." Zero stated simply, looking over to Maya, "Do you trust her?"

Maya looked down, "I don't know. Her story makes sense but Mordecai could be right. I mean, how many times has Jack been one step ahead of us, Zero? We talked about this before."

"We're not making a decision until after we look into her story. We can ask Tannis to try and find records of the two of them attending that academy Icebringer spoke of." Lilith placed a hand on her head, rubbing her temple, "If she is really on our side, we may have gained our greatest ally..."

Mordecai drank down some ale before throwing his bottle across the room into a bin, "And if not, we're going to have to face a Siren."

* * *

**Boom. Now one thing to explain before you guys stop reading:**

**IF Icebringer is not on the Vault Hunters side and they do have to face her in combat it will officially be their first time fighting a Siren. **

**Obviously Lilith and Maya never actually fought against their companions and the one time they almost fought a Siren was Steele. But since it never got to that point... Yeah.**

**Another thing... So technically two. My bad:**

**I will explain what I said about Sirens in this chapter. To end any confusion until it is fully explained, basically in this story whenever a Siren dies, their powers are passed onto a random girl being born around the same time. **

**Therefore before Lilith, Maya, Steele, and Angel there was a Siren before each of them that had their powers.**

**Since Icebringer is the 5th out of 6th, there is a 6th power floating around somewhere. And since Angel and Steele are dead, they passed on their powers.**

**So now there are two young Sirens running around with a mysterious 6th. (IDK if any of this will be relevant to the story later on but it's just cool to think about).**

**Also, what do you guys think:**

** Do you think this is all a plan made by Jack or do you believe Icebringer? Lemme know!**


	4. Leesa

**Thank you so much for the reviews! They make me a happy woman (= Also, gotta admit, I flipped out when I saw the author of my favorite Maya/Zero fanfic "Love on a Place Like Pandora" sent in a review. **

**I'm also excited people seem to be enjoying this story! I'm happy that I can actually share this story instead of just thinking about it to myself. Let me know if you have questions, recommendations, or concerns. I'm sorry if characters are acting OOC but like I said, first time making a Borderlands fanfic for the public. I'll get better eventually! (=**

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Icebringer sat uncomfortably on the table, anticipating Salvador to freak out on her like the others did. She grabbed onto her wedding ring, twisting it around nervously.

"Senorita, are you okay?" Salvador asked, pulling up a chair by the table and offering his hand to Icebringer.

She hesitantly placed her hand in his as he helped her off the table and she took a seat in the chair.

"I'm okay... Thank you... Sal, was it?" Icebringer asked, feeling more relieved now she was off of the table. The entire time she was sitting in the middle of the room she felt like she was a spectacle, on display for those to judge. Somehow Icebringer felt that was why Salvador offered her the chair.

"Salvador," He smiled, completely ignoring how his friends were freaking out earlier, "Your nombre, amiga?"

"My real name is Leesa."

"Encantado de conocerla."

Leesa rose an eyebrow, "I only know so much Spanish, Salvador."

"It's nice to meet you, amiga." Salvador smiled, reaching out his hand to shake Leesa's.

"Likewise!" Leesa shook his hand, grateful Mordecai left him with her and not someone else.

After they shook hands, Leesa ran her hand through her hair while sighing, "I'm assuming you have a lot of questions?"

"Your explanation was very clear." Salvador responded.

Leesa smiled, "You don't know how relieved I am to hear you say that. I'm uh... Sorry about freezing you guys earlier."

Salvador shook his head, "No hay problema."

After a long silence, Salvador pulled out his Torgue shotgun, "Can you use a gun?"

As Leesa hesitantly reached over and grabbed the shotgun, Salvador added: "You're gonna need one in order to survive here."

"Were you born here?" Leesa inspected the sides of the shotgun, feeling its heavy weight.

"Si. Ovejas. Pandora's not the best place to live but those who do live here make the best of it."

"Sirens seem to think this is a wonderful place to live." Leesa commented, handing the gun back to Salvador.

"From what I've heard from the chicas downstairs, there's some connection between you and Eridium and if you don't know, Pandora is filled with Eridium and Vaults." Salvador placed his shotgun behind his back.

"I know that all too well." Leesa mumbled to herself. Another long silence entered between them, causing Leesa to keep thinking about her situation... Thinking about John.

"I don't know what I'm supposed to do." Leesa finally spoke up, "I'm sure your friends don't want me around but I'm not going to go find John. I want to go home but I can't just let John do these awful things to your planet."

"Like Mord said, you're too late for what Jack has done. Whatever you decide to do though, amiga, I'll back you up. I won't let you be thrown out on your own." Salvador placed his hand on Leesa's shoulder, "Let's go downstairs."

Leesa bit her lip nervously, "Alright." She stood up as Salvador grabbed her wrist, opening the door to head downstairs.

As Salvador and Leesa turned the corner of the stairs that led down to Tannis' work space, the room grew silent.

"Salvador, I told you to keep her upstairs." Mordecai almost hissed out.

"Lo siento, amigo. This senorita should hear what you have to say." Salvador apologized, bringing Leesa down off the stairs to stand beside him and Lilith.

Leesa awkwardly stood next to Lilith, "I just uhm. Want to say some things before you guys talk more."

Maya crossed her arms, "Go on."

After a bit of silence, Leesa spoke, "First off, I don't go by Icebringer. My name is Leesa. Secondly, I don't want you guys to be fighting with each other about me. Thirdly, You have no reason to trust me. I get that. But if you're going to stop John from causing more damage, you'll need my help. No one knows him better than me."

Zero caught on to Leesa's words, '_Those words... Are those of Angel's.'_

**"_You have no reason to trust me. I get that. But if you're going to stop Jack from controlling the Warrior, you'll need my help.__"_**

Zero looked around the room, wondering if anyone else caught on to what she said. No one seemed to take notice besides himself which caused Zero to start rethinking his side on the issue.

"I understand if you want me to leave. I will if you all really want me to but I'm hoping you guys will allow me to help. I couldn't stop John from coming here and I really do want to help end his reign."

"Even if it means killing him?" Mordecai asked, crossing his arms and glaring at Leesa from under his mask.

Leesa looked down, "I'll be honest, I won't be able to kill him myself but I won't stand in your way..."

"We'll see about that." Mordecai walked up to her to stand in front of her, "You're right, I don't trust you. But if you're as powerful as Lilith says, I will look the other way as long as your powers aren't being used against us and you do not contact Jack."

"I don't want to talk to him. But I will tell you this: You cannot blame an entire civilization for the actions of their leader... You cannot blame a wife for the actions of her husband. I don't know what Joh- Jack did to you but I was not involved in any way." Leesa explained, staring right into Mordecai's mask.

Their staring contest was broken when Lilith placed her hand on Leesa's arm, "What powers do you have?"

"I was given many different powers but... Phase terror is what I was born with."

Maya placed a her hand on her hip, "Any chance you could explain more about Sirens?"

Leesa nodded, "Only to those who want to know. It's a very long story."

Lilith looked over to Maya, "Tannis will probably want to hear about all of this."

Brick stepped up from behind Axton, "I'll go find her." Brick walked out of the headquarters, not affected by everyone's qualms about Leesa.

"All I want to know about are your powers and what they do." Mordecai stood firmly in front of Leesa, hovering over her a little.

Leesa place her right hand onto her left arm, her tattoos radiating a bright light from the contact, "Phase terror is exactly as it sounds. I can banish people to a dimension that holds their biggest fears. That's the sick, twisted power I brought on to add to the Icebringer cycle."

Suddenly static came on over everyone's ECHO, automatically switching them all to speaker.

"What the hell?" Axton asked, pulling out his ECHO.

"Did someone hack into our ECHOs?" Lilith asked, looking around the room at everyone.

An even louder static came on over the ECHOs before a threatening voice came on:

_I want to talk to my wife right now._

* * *

**Boom. Now we are getting somewhere.**

**Let me know in the reviews if you guys believe Icebringer or Mordecai!**

**Also as soon as you guys start getting theories, lemme know! I'd love to hear about them (=**

**One more thing: **

**I almost always picture Salvador as this short gentleman. Not like Hammerlock but I always feel like Sal would be comforting women and defending them. IDK why. I just do.**

**And a side note:**

**I do plan on making things lighthearted and funny like usual Borderlands calls for but I gotta get us all past the first initial "butthead" stages.**

**Peace!**


	5. A Quick Analysis

**Lovely lovely reviews. (= Love the feedback, ohmygosh. **

**Sorry for cliffhangers but I have to keep you guys interested! I don't want to lose any of you as desperate as that sounds lol**

**Also, sorry for short chapters! My attention span has decreased so much over the years to the point where I can't keep focused on writing one chapter for too long or even reading long chapters. I catch myself skimming which I'm trying to improve on, but anyways. Short chapters will be a thing for a while with my stories.**

* * *

Leesa put her hand over her heart and another on her head, feeling her heart rip apart and felt nauseated at the same time at hearing his voice.

"Fuck off, Jack!" Mordecai yelled into his ECHO.

_I don't believe I asked to talk to you bird boy._

Salvador looked at Leesa and grabbed her arm, pulling at her a little while whispering, "Come sit, Leesa." He led her to a chair so she could sit down, seeing how nerve racked she was.

_Don't talk to my wife._

Leesa almost opened her mouth but saw Mordecai staring at her. She wanted so desperately to defend these Vault Hunters against Jack but she told Mordecai she wouldn't talk to him.

_I told you that if you took my wife there would be severe consequences._

"Who the hell are you to talk, Jack? You imprisoned your wife in a box!" Lilith argued, placing her ECHO onto the table away from her.

_I don't have to explain myself to you. Now seeing as you all are deaf I will repeat: I want to talk to my wife. NOW._

No one said anything, wondering if Jack would stop talking if there was no one to talk to.

_I know you all can still hear me. Where is my wife? Did you take her to your pathetic Sanctuary?_

Leesa placed her fingers on her mouth, remembering John mentioned a Sanctuary to her before. She leaned over to Lilith to whisper, "There was something interesting John told me about Sanctuary."

_Leesa, Leesa baby! Is that you? Are you alright?_

The room was shocked at the tone of Jack's voice. It almost sounded genuine and that his concern for his wife was greater than his threats to the Vault Hunters. It was a different side to Jack they hadn't really experienced before. Yes, he had begged them to not hurt his daughter but that still sounded fake.

_Don't believe whatever they've been telling you. These are the bad people, baby!_

Leesa looked around the room, watching each face.

Lilith's face held an untold power that could be easily overlooked by her beauty. The only trace of it was her golden eyes that kept a fire locked inside, but Leesa saw something alongside Lilith's face. Hurt. Jack hurt Lilith in a way Leesa couldn't place.

Maya's blue eyes were once serene but turned cold ice when Jack had started talking. There was no visible threat but Maya was prepared to fight whether it be verbal or physical. Both Sirens seemed willing to lay everything on the line to stop Jack which wasn't even their job. They had no obligation towards fighting him in the beginning until Jack made everything personal.

Leesa couldn't see Mordecai's eyes or upper face but his mouth said everything. What Jack called him earlier, 'bird boy', didn't make much sense. There was no bird here and as far as she could tell, Mordecai was a normal human. He was hiding his pain behind alcohol and anger. Anger towards anything that could remind him of the monster that had taken something precious from him. Looking at his mouth that was held in a permanent scowl, Leesa desperately wanted to know what Jack had done to him that would cause him to take it out on her.

Axton had a determined look on his face but saw no such loss like she saw in Lilith's eyes or in Mordecai's anger. Jack may not have taken something from Axton but he was here for a reason, opposing him. Maybe he was doing it for the sake of doing the right thing? To become a hero against the maniacal villain? His stature told Leesa that he had been in a military of some sort, along with his outfit of course. Being a hero makes more sense than anything to her at the moment.

Of course, Leesa could not see anything in Zero's face as he watched on. His stature, light breathing, the mask, the sword... It all pointed to an assassin. Leesa had come into contact with one before, one that was not that great at his job but Zero seemed different. He was a silent watcher, probably taking in as much information as she was in this split moment. Who knows what he thought of her. The only thing Leesa could sense from the third Icebringer's power: Phase sight, was that Zero's heart was pounding as he stood close to Maya. An interesting observation to say the least seeing an assassin so attached to one particular person, a Siren no less.

Leesa glanced over to Salvador, the only one who was completely on her side without any doubt whatsoever. What Jack was doing to Salvador's home. was horrid. His face seemed... Eager. Eager to take on any threat with a happiness that only a psycho would have. He was ready to take down the man that was destroying his home. Leesa surprisingly admired that about him. The sign of a true warrior: Unafraid. Ready to face evil with a smile on his face.

Brick was still gone but she could tell that he didn't care about the subject whatsoever. He happily left to find this Tannis person without giving any warnings about Leesa. He didn't leave and say for everyone to be careful. He turned his back to her when everyone would rather be face to face with her. In the short moment she saw him, Brick seemed similar to Salvador but on a bigger scale. He didn't anticipate a fight. He looked for a fight.

Yes, they were on a planet known for bandits and skags. Yes, Vault Hunters can be seen as greedy. Yes, if there was some sort of progress like Opportunity they would be able to make Pandora safer.

But why change Pandora if people are so willing to fight for it to be this way? There must be something about it that made people want to fight. Or was it just the fact that Jack wasn't working _with_ the people of Pandora to make it better. He wanted to exterminate.

These Vault Hunters weren't the bad guys. They were the warriors of Pandora.

Jack wasn't the hero. He was the executioner.

Leesa walked over to Lilith's ECHO, placing her hand on it.

"Phase shift."

The static behind Jack's voice disappeared and their electronic intruder was gone.

That was it. The moment Zero started completely doubting Leesa. '_Angel's power, her words, the fact she was with Jack_.' Zero was going to keep an eye on her for the sake of his friends.

Zero glanced over to Maya from behind his mask, thinking on how he would have felt if Jack had kidnapped her instead of Lilith. A weird feeling washed right over him as he imagined Jack saying those words of Maya:

_**"and, as it turns out, when that Eridium is pumping through her body, I can stab her over and over and over and it just heals right back up."**_

Zero mentally shook the thoughts from his head. Even if he was to ignore how he felt about her for the sake of being an assassin, he would make sure to protect Maya.

Even from another Siren.

oOOOOOOOOOOOOOo

Jack threw his hacking ECHO across the room with a loud growl.

"How dare they turn her against me!"

One of the doctors from the Wildlife Preserve was stitching his multiple wounds while he slouched back in a chair.

"You shouldn't move. You've lost a lot of blood sir." The doctor advised, cutting the end of the wire that was intertwined with his skin.

Once the wire was cut, Jack stood up and walked off, leaving the doctor behind to sigh and shake her head.

"They are not taking her from me." Jack growled to himself. His usual cool stride turned to one of rage. He stormed down the hallways until he reached his information center, looking at all of the computer monitors before him. His eyes went down to the thick folders that were filled with papers on the table underneath the monitors. He pushed them aside one by one, reading their titles:

_The Icebringer Legend by Irming King  
_

_The Icebringer Experiment: An essay by Dr. Lovett_

___Sirens: Lineage by Patricia Tannis_

_Vault Hunters by Irming King_

_The Angel Shift Project: A documentation of Dr. Lovett's journals_

_Eridians: Do They Exist?: A rough draft by Anonymous_

Jack placed his hands down on the table and leaned forward, the blood still splattered on his face from the last encounter with the Vault Hunters. His mind raced to find a solution to his problem. He needed his wife back... Wanted his wife back. His hands turned to fists as he threw all of the folders off of the table, their papers flying everywhere around the room, "I was so damn close!"

He stormed off again, ignoring the pain from his freshly stitched wound in his side. As soon as he reached the command room where most of his soldiers were, he called out, "We're going to Tundra Express!"

All of his soldiers looked over to their blood soaked leader as he cracked a wicked smile, "It's time to gain some leverage."

* * *

**Taaaadaahhh! What do you guys think?**

**I know not much physically happened in this chapter but of course, every now and then I need to put in chapters that don't do that much but explain how people feel or come off to others around them. **

**So this happened. More will probably happen in the next chapter.**


	6. Siren Lineage

**I'm in the Borderlands fanfic mood today, so let's see if I can finish this chapter and upload on the same day as chapter 5! Whoo!**

**This chapter mostly explains about how Sirens work in my story's realm!**

**Also, just realized a mistake in the previous chapter: I made Mordecai sound like he has his mask from Borderlands 1 and not the goggles from Borderlands 2. My bad xD**

**One more thing: I like to think of Zero's mask as a computer like thing. Where he can search things, take pictures, etc with it. That'll be important to know about later.**

* * *

Leesa kept her hand on the ECHO, looking down at the only portal that was standing between her and her husband. She started blocking everything out of her mind that she learned today:

John is now Handsome Jack.

He's a greedy killer.

Jack had a daughter that he used for his own gain.

He must have been with other women, then.

Once Leesa chased every thought of John from her head, she picked up the ECHO and handed it to Lilith and turned to Maya, "I'll answer your questions."

Maya nodded as Leesa slowly walked away from them and up the stairs, Lilith and Salvador following her. Mordecai grunted and walked out the door of the headquarters, only to be face to face with Brick and Tannis.

"Where is the Icebringer?!" Tannis cried out, shoving her way past the two men and up the stairs after Maya pointed upwards for her.

They all heard Tannis muttering to herself on the way up the stairs about how this was a revolutionary find and how she needs many recorders. Mordecai pushed his way past Brick whom followed, having missed the interaction with Jack.

Axton sighed, "I need a drink." He walked out the door after Brick and Mordecai, intent on heading to Moxxi's.

Maya went to head up the stairs when she felt Zero's gloved hand grab onto her arm, "Wait, Maya."

Maya rose an eyebrow as she stared at the sleek black mask on Zero's face, "Yeah?"

Zero took in Maya's beautiful face before finally letting go of her arm. He wanted to tell her what he thought of Leesa but he knew this was Maya's only chance at getting her answers.

"I..." He paused, deciding to change his approach, "I want to learn about Sirens too."

Maya was a bit confused at how out of character he was acting but smiled, "Well, come on!" Maya walked up the stairs with Zero in tow.

Leesa sighed as she began her explanation once everyone entered the room:

_I don't know how the first Siren came to be... But what I do know is that the first Siren was The Icebringer.  
She was all powerful and contained every power imaginable to any Siren. There were 6 main powers that had small sub powers to them.  
For example, I can sense Maya has phaselock and her slag orb while Lilith has phasewalk and her teleporting powers. Each of your additional powers can only be obtained by having that one main power.  
The original Icebringer had multiple sub powers that were not part of the 6 main powers.  
Those 6 main powers are lock, walk, shift, mist, quake, and send.  
__After Icebringer split her powers into the 5 main ones that were bestowed onto 5 other Sirens, she passed down one more power and all of the sub powers that didn't have main powers onto her next host.  
I do not know what she did this though.  
__She immediately died, causing the cycle to continue. As soon as an Icebringer can use phase send, she is allowed to choose her host whenever she wants to and send the power to said host. I was like you all, born an Icebringer. But, unlike other Sirens, Icebringer Sirens can be any age and gain their powers._

_Each new Icebringer is given a unique power that is technically a 7th power but is found under the sub power category just because there can only be six Sirens.  
Also, each time an Icebringer is chosen, every sub category is passed down with the previous Icebringer's unique power and then one of their own.  
I can use phase send, phase quake, and phase shift because the fifth Icebringer used her unique power phase absorb to gain those powers in that previous life from other Sirens.  
I could gain your powers with phase absorb as well but it is a very painful process. I have enough powers as it is so I choose not to absorb other powers.  
Also as an Icebringer, I have these eyes and an ice form with my usual Siren wings. Normal Sirens can take on a fire form which I can sense you have already experienced, Lilith.  
Icebringer's signature duo colored eyes are not explained either except that one eye will always be the normal color the Siren is born with but with a purple eye too.  
On top of all of this, Icebringers can take on the memories of each Icebringer before them which is why I know so much.  
The only thing I lack is why Icebringer was even born. I don't know if Eridians created her or she's an apparition from Eridium or whatever other theories there are out there. Until I prove myself worthy of using phase past, I cannot see certain memories of the first Icebringer._

After the story was over and Tannis had turned off her recorder, she walked over and pulled out a flashlight, shining them in Leesa's eyes. Leesa didn't flinch, her pupils barely moving to the effect of the bright light.

"How interesting..." Tannis put the flashlight away and turned the recorder back on, "Icebringer's pupils do not shrink when a bright light was introduced. Eyes seem to be a genetic mutation that instead of being hereditary, are passed on through the powers. Focus on purple eye rather than both eyes. Possible Eridium connection as to why one eye is always purple and the other is a normal color."

Zero stood in the corner of the room with his arms crossed, _'Why is she accepting how Tannis is treating her?'_

"So you only know about Icebringer but nothing before that?" Maya asked, slightly disappointed.

"I'm sorry but that is correct." Leesa answered.

"It's still very interesting to know where we came from even if we don't know where Icebringer came from. We're pretty much her daughters." Lilith commented, leaning across the table, "You've told me so much more than Steele would have ever told me."

"Steele?" Leesa asked, raising an eyebrow.

"She's why I came to Pandora. She was a Siren that I wanted to get answers from but she ended up dying before I got to see her powers or anything."

"What were her eyes like?" Leesa asked.

Lilith shrugged, "I don't recall."

Tannis flipped open the folder she always carried with her and pulled out a picture of Steele, "Here." She handed the picture to Leesa.

She looked it over, "Phase mist."

"What power is that?" Maya asked.

Tannis pushed her recorder closer to Leesa as she explained, "Phase mist is a power that clouds another person's judgments and the Siren can use them at will. It's a brainwashing power."

"Well, she was the leader of the Crimson Lance. That kind of explains everything, I suppose." Lilith commented.

Tannis spoke towards the recorder, "You can tell which power belongs to each Siren by their eyes?"

Leesa nodded, "Yes. Gold for walk, light blue/grey for lock, dark blue for shift, green/grey for mist, duo colors for send, and brown for quake."

"How intriguing." Tannis pulled the recorder back towards her, "If previous theory of purple eye connected to Eridium is true then Icebringer Sirens are more so connected with Eridium than other Sirens."

Tannis reached out and grabbed onto Leesa's tattooed arm, staring at the scars Lilith had noticed earlier, "Where did you get these scars?"

Leesa pulled her arm back gently, "That's a story for another day. It doesn't have anything to do with Siren lineage, I assure you."

Tannis shut off her recorder and stood up, "I need to go over all of this new information... Thank... You." Tannis said slowly before walking out the door and back downstairs.

"She's an interesting one." Leesa watched Tannis leave before looking at the group, "I hope this information helped."

"It did, I really appreciate it." Lilith smiled.

Zero was conflicted,_ 'If she got Angel's powers from a previous Siren, then that connection is shot down. But how can someone word for word repeat someone they've never met? What are the chances? Slim.'_

Leesa looked down, "You guys uhm... Don't know who Angel's mother is?"

Maya shook her head, "He said that Angel killed her mom with her powers."

"What was her power?"

"Phase shift." Lilith answered.

Leesa looked back up, confusion written all over her face, "How can phase shift kill anyone?"

Stunned by her question, the Maya and Lilith looked at each other before looking over at Salvador and Zero whom both shrugged.

"We never even thought of that. What is the sub power of phase shift?" Lilith asked.

Leesa waved her arm before her and the room shifted much like how when they all met Angel for the first time. It felt like they were all inside of a computer.

"Phase tech. The ability to change the world around those into a technological marvel." The world around them fell apart back into the normal room. "Phase shift and tech are powers that are focused on defense and intellect much like phase sight. The only thing offensive about it would be if you could use phase shift to take control of a turret or bomb or something. I highly doubt Angel would be able to control a turret that killed her mom or something of that matter."

"He has lied countless times." Zero finally spoke up.

"Will you uh... Will you guys tell me all that he's done?" Leesa asked.

"Don't do this to yourself, Leesa." Maya walked forward, "You don't need to hear what he's done."

Leesa closed her eyes, fighting back tears.

Mordecai suddenly stormed into the room, causing every one to look at him.

"I can't get a hold of Tina."

* * *

**Ding. What do you guys think about how I want Sirens to be like? xD**


	7. Preparing for the Worst

**I finally drew a picture of Leesa for the cover! Whoo! She's also on my DeviantArt with a May0 picture! I will probably be drawing more of the characters over time. Hope you guys check them out! My DeviantArt link is on my profile (=**

**I also have a Mordecai/Leesa picture I'm working on to get practice with drawing these characters.**

**One more thing: People on Pandora do have access to showers. Please don't question it xD**

* * *

Maya, Zero, Axton, and Mordecai were running past the fields filled with varkids, shooting a few from the air. They didn't waste time trying to get to Tina's home, ignoring and dodging the majority of the varkids and bandits that showed up before them.

Mordecai was pissed and everyone there could sense that. Axton was secretly sorry for whatever or whoever was keeping Tina away from calling Mordecai back. Mordecai would never admit it but he enjoyed the girl's company and would never allow her to be harmed by anybody. A part of Mordecai made a secret promise to Roland that so long as he was alive, he would care for Tina much like Roland did. When the group turned the corner to Tina's workshop they all stopped at the entrance.

The entire place was trashed, tables knocked over, stuffed animals torn apart, and black gunpowder marks were smudged everywhere.

Mordecai clenched his fist, "TINA!"

Nothing.

"We should go over to the local bandits. Maybe they took her?" Axton suggested.

Mordecai shook his head and pointed to a distant pile of robot arms and legs that must have been blown off in the fight. "Jack took her."

Maya walked up to Mordecai, "He must be in Eridium Blight which means he didn't get far after we hurt him. He's weak, Mordecai. Let's go take him out."

Mordecai leaned down and picked up Princess Fluffybutt before turning towards Maya, "You should have left her in that damn box."

Maya suddenly grew furious, "Leesa's a person too, Mordecai! She has feelings!"

"Are you really sure about that?" Mordecai got up in Maya's face, "For all we know she's just as psychotic as her husband!"

Zero stepped in between Maya and Mordecai and nudged him a bit away from Maya, "This is not the time for arguing." Zero hid under a sensible rouse when in all actuality he was being very defensive over Maya. Zero may have his doubts about Leesa but he knew Maya was right. Leesa has feelings and if Maya could see that and felt she needed to be protected, Zero would keep Mordecai off her back.

Mordecai glared at Zero, "Don't you see what she's doing to us? She's messing with our heads, tearing us apart!"

"You're impossible Mordecai!" Maya shouted, "If this was a trap, Leesa could just snap her fingers and we'd all be dead by now which is what Jack has been wanting this entire time!"

Mordecai didn't say anything in response.

Maya shook her head and walked deeper into the workshop, entering the garage to look around more. She glanced over all of Tina's possessions before she saw the picture of Tina and Roland stuck to the wall by a bloody knife.

"Get in here, you guys!" Maya cried out.

Everyone ran to her and each had their own mortified look on their faces as they looked at the note stuck to the ruined picture of Tina and Roland:

_Bring my wife to the volcano in Eridium Blight._

Mordecai pulled the knife from the picture and note, tossing it to the ground. He took the picture and folded it, placing it in his pack while walking back through the workshop to leave. "Let's give him what he wants."

oOOOOOo

"You cannot be serious, Mordecai." Lilith crossed her arms.

Leesa sat at the table in the middle of the room, looking through a folder that belonged to Tannis. She let Leesa look through it after much argument so Leesa could see what Jack had been doing all this time on Pandora.

"It's not like he's going to hurt her. They're married for crying out loud..." Mordecai glanced at Leesa.

"First, you said you didn't want her talking to Jack and now you want to hand her over?! We still don't know why he put her in the case in the first place!" Lilith rebutted.

"Look, Lil, if we don't at least show Jack that we've fulfilled our part of the bargain he won't give Tina back."

While Lilith and Mordecai argued, Leesa reached a page about the Wildlife Reserve, scanning through the slag experiments. She pushed the page to the side a little to see a picture of Angel that Axton had drawn out. Axton's hidden talent was an artistic type that allowed him to draw whatever he saw to almost perfection. His picture of Angel in her chambers and one close up of her on the ground were amazingly detailed and showed all the emotion in her eyes before she died.

Something inside of Leesa snapped when she saw the picture of Angel and read more about the slag experiments. She placed a hand on her heart as it started to beat rapidly when a solitary image appeared before her:

_A young blond girl running from the Wildlife Preserve for her dear life, crying. _

Leesa's flipped through more papers until she saw Tiny Tina's picture and Tannis' explanation about how her parents were killed by Fleshstick at the preserve. Tina looked identical to the small child she saw running. She let her mind slowly sink into phase past to try and coax out more memories...

Leesa remembered Jack ordering people to go after her but suddenly...

_Leesa's hand touched his shoulder, "Please... Let her go for me? Please stop this madness..." _

_Jack looked over at her and all she could see was him pulling her into a tight hug, allowing his soldiers to stand down, allowing the girl to run._

Leesa took a chance and glanced over at Angel's face, a memory coming from the depths of her mind. All Leesa could see was Jack hovering over her, whispering to her before she fell asleep and it all went blank.

_"You weren't supposed to find__ out..."_

After the words left her mind, she felt a need to protect everyone from Jack especially Tina. Her heart ached that she couldn't save those Jack had already killed and hurt...

Leesa stood up suddenly, her chair falling over from the force, "I'll go."

Lilith stepped forward, "Leesa you can't do this..."

"Mordecai is right, Lilith. Jack isn't going to hurt me so long as there's one sliver of John still in there. I want to help. No matter what is entails."

Mordecai walked over to where the Vault Key was and pulled open a drawer, coming back with a metal collar in his hand. Lilith backed away at the sight of it and placed her hand over her neck.

"We need you to wear this to make sure you don't betray us." Mordecai opened the collar, walking over to Leesa.

"Mordecai! You can't be serious! That thing is evil!" Lilith protested.

"What is it?" Leesa asked, concerned about the sound in Lilith's voice.

"It's a collar Jack uses to control a Siren's power." Mordecai explained simply.

"It. Is. Evil." Lilith spat out.

"I know you don't like the collar Lilith but it's neither for you or your choice." Mordecai handed the collar to Leesa, "If you really want to help, I need you to put this on."

Leesa hesitantly reached her hand out, pausing for a second before finally taking it from Mordecai. Her hand gently brushed his as she put it up to her neck and slowly placed it against her skin.

As soon as it attached together, Leesa's wings appeared causing Mordecai to step back slightly. Leesa winced as her wings flapped slowly and ice crawled up her arm again and towards the collar. Once the ice touched the collar, it sent out a spark and the ice retreated back to her forearms.

After a few minutes of silence, Leesa looked into Mordecai's goggles, "I think we're good."

"Gather everyone. We're getting Tina back."

Lilith looked at Leesa for a moment, waiting for her to give out a smile before heading downstairs.

Leesa shifted uncomfortably while Mordecai watched her.

"Are you happy you're going to see your husband?" Mordecai asked in a monotone voice.

Leesa shook her head, "I'm not ready to see the monster he's become."

Mordecai thought about her words before remembering what she told Lilith earlier, "What did Jack tell you about Sanctuary?"

"Let's get Tina back first... That's the main priority here."

Mordecai was a little shocked by what she said.

"Why are you so surprised?" Leesa asked Mordecai as his body went rigid. "I am not what my husband has become. I wouldn't harm another human being without a good enough reason and I would _never_ harm a child."

When Mordecai didn't say anything, Leesa sighed, "I read about what Jack took from you. I know you don't trust me but I am very sorry about Bloodwing."

"He wanted to play a violin to rub her death in my face." Mordecai closed his eyes underneath his goggles.

Leesa's eyes started tearing up at what Mordecai added:

"He had her body on display at Opportunity. Like he was some hero."

When Mordecai opened up his eyes, he witnessed a tear fall from the Icebringer's eyes.

Mordecai thought about Maya's words about how Leesa is a human with emotions like the rest of them. A small piece of him was telling him to give Leesa a break, to even let his guard down. But when he let his guard down, Wilhelm almost killed them all.

When he let his guard down, Bloodwing was taken.

When he let his guard down, Lilith went to Roland and got captured.

He won't let his guard down again.

* * *

**Ding! (= Done. Any theories?**


	8. A Compromise

**Sorry about how I'm going to describe the layout of the volcano in Eridium Blight. I need it to look a certain way for this chapter, plus I don't want to hop on my game and analyze every single thing about the area just for this chapter.**

**Yeah, it'd be dedication but it's a fanfiction so I should be able to go ahead and tweak some things. **

**Hopefully that didn't sound rude and I didn't offend anyone. That's never my intention.**

**OMG am I the only person who gets so confused when typing out Salvador's name? Like... By the time I get to the "dor" part of his name, I ALWAYS type an "a" so it's "Salvadora" because I automatically think I'm typing PanDORA. OMG I'm sorry Salvador! D:**

**And because I just mentioned this, I may accidentally not catch myself doing that... Review the mistake and I'll fix it! After this chapter, I'm probably going to go through and fix mistakes I've noticed so far. I proof read all my chapters at least twice before updating but of course, I always find so many AFTER I post them.**

**I guess that's just how life works...**

* * *

Night had fallen by the time everyone had reached the base of the giant volcano at Eridium Blight. The stars shined bright in the sky, showing a calm night that was not plagued by the wicked transaction about to take place. The surrounding area was illuminated by the headlights of the two Bandit Technicals and the lava that flowed between the canyons and the sides of the volcano.

Mordecai hopped out of the driver's side of the blue Technical, looking up at the ledge that stood dangerously close to the volcano's crater. He could make out Jack's figure standing near the edge that sloped down into the deep canyons surrounding the ring of smaller volcanoes. Mordecai breathed out, trying to keep his urge to snipe Jack's head off at bay.

Salvador jumped out the back of the same Technical and held his hand out for Leesa. She leaned down and accepted his hand, allowing him to help her out of the back. Once everyone was out of the cars, the group started travelling up the narrow path up the volcano. Mordecai and Lilith in the front, Leesa and Salvador in second, Brick and Axton were third, and Maya and Zero were following in the back.

A small piece of the path fell underneath Maya, causing her to stumble a bit to the edge. She let out a cry before Zero reached over and grabbed Maya by the waist, pulling her close to him. Everyone turned around to make sure Maya was fine, each holding a genuine concerned look on their faces.

"Are you okay?" Axton asked.

Maya nodded, "Yeah, thanks."

Everyone turned back around to keep walking as Zero moved so Maya was against the side of the volcano. She blushed a little, feeling his arm still around her to make sure she wouldn't fall again. _'Ugh why am I acting like a love struck teenager? Get over it. Stay focused.' _Maya thought to herself as she moved her attention to the back of Brick's head.

Mordecai stopped the group once they made it to a giant platform a ways beneath the crater Jack stood by. They all looked up at Jack as he motioned for his soldiers to come forward to stand behind him in view of everyone.

"Leesa, did they hurt you?" Jack asked, completely disregarding the Vault Hunters.

She stole a glance at Mordecai's hand who released his fist ever so slightly. The hand motion was one they discussed which showed when Mordecai would allow her to speak to Jack.

"No, I-I'm completely fine." Leesa answered nervously. '_He's not your husband anymore... Remember that.'_

Jack narrowed his eyes, "Why did you put that collar on my wife?" The rage building up over the short time Jack spit out that sentence was terrifying and it sent shivers down Maya and Axton's spines. They both were able to pick up the emotion in Jack's voice.

"We're not here to chit chat! Where's Tina?!" Mordecai shouted out while stepping in front of Leesa.

"You don't get her back until I get Leesa."

Lilith touched Mordecai's arm, "How about a compromise? We send them off at the same time escorted by one of our own."

Jack closed his eyes and placed his hands behind his back, "Fine. Bring the girl forward."

A Hyperion soldier stepped forward from behind the crowd of soldiers, holding onto Tina's arm forcefully. Tina's hands were tied behind her back and tape was across her mouth.

Mordecai looked back at Brick, "You take Leesa."

Brick nodded, "I'll punch anything that goes wrong."

Brick placed his right hand on Leesa's back, walking her forward to a narrow slope that led up to the right side of the crater. As Brick and Leesa made their way up the slope, the Hyperion soldier walked down with Tina on the outer side of the slope. The tension was rising and Leesa could feel her stomach flipping and tying up in knots. As soon as Leesa's shoulder brushed past the Hyperion soldier's, he pushed Tina off the side of the slope to fall towards the lava deep at the bottom of the canyon.

"TINA!" Everyone shouted out while Jack laughed.

Leesa immediately pushed the Hyperion soldier out of her way and dove off the cliff, falling after Tina. All thoughts pushed their way out of her head, allowing her to focus on the instinct that told her to protect Tina. The instinct rose from deep within her chest that pressured her to not fail.

"That's how I handle compr- LEESA WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!." Jack yelled out when he saw Leesa dive off the cliff.

Jack ran to the edge to see Leesa while waving at his soldiers, "Kill the Vault Hunters!"

The soldiers unleashed a storm of bullets upon the group. Brick punched the solider near him in the face which caused him to fall off the slope as well.

Axton threw out his two turrets in front of everyone, "Get back!" Their shields deployed and protected the group from the onslaught of bullets.

Mordecai and Zero backed up with their snipers to obtain head shots while Maya phase locked a Hyperion soldier that was crouched in the middle of the other men. A few soldiers were pulled into the crater from the force of the phase lock.

Lilith teleported near a couple of soldiers and blasted them off the side of the volcano, "Sup." She disappeared again to be next to Maya to use her fire SMG from a distance.

The giant Hyperion station in the sky sent out multiple robots, keeping the Vault Hunters busy while Jack's eyes were locked on Leesa as she descended down into the canyon.

Salvador pulled out two Conference Calls and ran up the slope with Brick, yelling as he shot everyone in his path while Brick rammed himself into the ones Salvador missed.

While everyone was locked in combat, Leesa pointed herself downwards to Tina's falling form. Tina struggled as she fell, trying to free herself from her binds. Leesa's eyes narrowed as her wings appeared, causing her body to fly forward like a bullet leaving the barrel of a gun. The blast her body made when her wings appeared destroyed the collar around her neck, freeing her powers. Leesa reached out and grabbed Tina, hugging her close as their bodies warmed up from the heat radiating from the lava.

"Keep your eyes closed Tina!" Leesa called out as she forced the two of them to enter phase terror's hold. They transported to another dimension as soon as they were to enter the lava. Tina kept her eyes closed as she heard the sounds of her parents' torture surround her. Tina felt the air whip her hair around while Leesa redirected their bodies upward. Leesa kept her stare forward, facing her biggest fear straight in the face as she flew higher and higher in the dimension to get Tina back to her friends.

Once Leesa could sense they were far enough away from the lava in their normal dimension, she burst through the hold and reappeared in Pandora halfway up the canyon. Leesa flew as fast as she could towards the top of the volcano and as soon as she reached the top, everyone looked at her; captivated by her image.

She was floating there, holding onto Tina in a hug with her ice blue wings spread out open behind her. Leesa's normal eyes were replaced with the look of Maya's phase lock. The purple and black swirled around inside of her eyes as her hair whipped around rapidly. Ice was covering the majority of her body with a small part of it creeping across her face.

The robots had been cleared out from the fight, leaving a few soldiers. One of them aimed their gun at Leesa, shaking slightly.

Jack turned back at him, "Stand down you moron!"

Before Jack could move to stop him, the soldier fired his weapon. He had been aiming for Leesa but the trajectory would hit Tina in her back. Sensing the path of the bullet in her sensitive state, Leesa -now as Icebringer- whipped her head to face the soldier which immediately sent his bullet back to him. She landed a perfect head shot, completely disregarding what she told Mordecai earlier.

When the beast inside of her is awake, she loses all of her senses. She changes from Leesa to full Icebringer; a being of ultimate destruction.

"Leesa baby. Come back to me." Jack gently pleaded, holding out his hand towards her.

At the sound of Jack's voice, Leesa's eyes returned to normal and she inhaled sharply as if she hadn't been able to breathe. The man she told herself to ignore... To forget that he was ever her husband was the only one who could bring her back from the brink of destruction.

She slowly floated over to the slope Tina had been pushed off, passing out from exhaustion. Leesa hit the ground hard on her back, cushioning Tina from the fall. Tina bounced out of Leesa's embrace and rolled down the slope to the group, gaining a few scratches on the way down.

Lilith, Mordecai, Axton, Maya, and Zero ran over to Tina while Brick and Salvador jumped down to make sure she was unharmed. Zero cut off Tina's binds on her hands with his sword while Mordecai pulled off the tape across her mouth.

Tina hugged Mordecai around the neck, "Shawty, I knew you'd come for me."

The image tore into Lilith's heart, reminding her of how Tina would hug Roland whenever she saw him. Everyone was relieved to see that Tina was not hurt severely.

Salvador pulled his attention away from Tina to check on Leesa. He watched as Jack picked up Leesa and carried her up the slope. Salvador pulled out his rifle and yelled out, "Senorita!"

Tina let go of Mordecai to watch her savior be carried by Jack near the crater. He was holding Leesa close to him bridal style as a badass constructor and many EXP loaders appeared from the Hyperion station. Jack didn't say a word as he vanished with Leesa behind the wave of Hyperion robots.

* * *

**Dun dun dun! The gang got Tina back but at the price of losing Leesa. Whatcha guys think?**

**Also, I apologize for referring to everyone as well "everyone", "the group", and "the vault hunters" so much. I lack any better vocabulary when describing their... Group ha ha haaa..**


	9. Maya's Words and Mordecai's Thoughts

**Sorry to disappoint but to the fans of Leesa... She will not show up in this chapter. Also, just a big warning about the next couple of chapters:**

**Jack is going to lie... A lot. I don't want anyone to think that I'm changing more of the story to make Jack sound better. He'll be flat out lying since Leesa hasn't been here to witness everything firsthand. I already explained in the first chapter what the major changes are. Everything else are lies or exaggerations.**

**OMG I'm going to suck at writing how Tina talks! Forgive me! Any advice will be greatly appreciated! **

**Boom. Now that that is out of the way...**

* * *

Maya sat at the table that was in the middle of the small kitchen of her home. Maya had her head in her hands while her elbows were against the table. During everyone's adventure to find and kill Jack, they were all able to get their own homes within Sanctuary due to the lack of room at the HQ.

Mordecai knocked on the door before stepping inside of Maya's home, "You wanted to talk?"

Maya sighed and sat up, running her hand through the top of her hair, "I want to talk to you about Leesa."

Mordecai leaned back against the door, crossing his arms, "I don't have anything to say."

Maya rose an eyebrow while standing up from her seat, "Oh, really?"

The hunter didn't say anything for a long while, staring right into Maya's eyes. He could see a fury growing within her grayish blue eyes.

"You use Leesa as a pawn in your sick game of revenge and you have nothing to say?" Maya spat out each word like they were poison in her mouth.

"Jack wasn't supposed to get her and she wasn't a pawn. She went along with the plan on her own accord."

Maya walked up to Mordecai before brushing right past him to leave the house, "That's because you didn't give her any other choice."

Mordecai let out a huff while slamming his fist into the wall behind him, "Dammit!" _Why am I the bad guy now?_

As Maya walked from her house in giant strides she thought about what Jack could be telling Leesa about everyone. She stopped in her tracks near the middle of the center of town before turning around and storming back to her house.

She flew the door open which almost hit Mordecai, "And one more thing, Mordecai."

He rose an eyebrow under his goggles.

"We may not be the typical heroes people think about when they read bedtime stories, but dammit we've been trying to do the right thing." Maya pushed on Mordecai's shoulders, "Because of how you treated a man's _wife, _she's going to believe every single lie Jack tells her. We treated her like shit, like a tool and now she'll be crying into the villain's arms and he'll say anything to have her on his side! We lost an ally and gained a nightmare of a combatant."

Mordecai was slightly taken aback by the fierceness in Maya's voice and stature. To be honest, she looked ready to face the Warrior all over again.

"Did you even fucking see what she did last night? She jumped off a cliff without hesitation to save_ our_ friend, she broke the collar that's supposed to contain her powers, and stopped a bullet with her mind!" Maya threw her arms about in a fit, releasing all of her emotions and thoughts onto Mordecai.

"She could have let Tina fall, but she didn't. You could have done a better job at keeping her away from Jack, but you didn't... Who is in the wrong here?"

Zero suddenly appeared in Maya's kitchen window, crouched on the window pane, "Something going on-"

Maya interrupted him, not phased in the slightest by his presence, "Leesa wasn't a trap and we were too dumb to realize it until now."

"What in the world did you expect me to think, Maya?!" Mordecai yelled back, "Jack's wife suddenly shows up and happens to be a Siren with all of these crazy ass powers and we're supposed to believe she's not on his side?"

"Yes!" Maya exclaimed, "Am I supposed to believe Lilith works with Jack just because he had that collar on her _once_?"

For the first time in a long time, Mordecai didn't know how to respond. He could always chose to not respond to a confrontation but this time he truly had no answer.

"It was wrong for any of us to make assumptions about her just because of a damn ring on her finger! Sal was the only person to see Leesa as a person and he's usually the one trying to kill everybody!" Maya breathed out choppily before shaking her head and looking down, "I know I'm just talking to a brick wall here but I want to find Leesa."

She glanced over to Zero, "I know I'll have Salvador on my side, but what about you guys? Are you going to help me fix the wrong we've done?"

Zero thought about Maya's words, all of which made perfect sense. Their group was composed of the craziest and most bizarre people ever. They had Sirens, a man obsessed with his turrets, a sniper whose best friend was a bird, and they had... Himself. If they all could accept Zero with such little information about himself... Then who were they to toss someone aside because of who their spouse is?

Zero climbed out from the window and walked up to Maya. He placed his hand on her shoulder, gripping it tightly as a red smiley face appeared on his helmet.

Maya sighed in relief, "Three is enough to start a search party. Mordecai, I really hope you'll help."

Mordecai stroked his beard before standing straight before Maya and Zero, "I need to go check up on the people of Overlook anyways."

He walked out of the house, leaving a smiling Maya with Zero's hand still placed securely on her shoulder.

Mordecai's mind resembled a hive of angry bees, his thoughts being tossed around in a chaotic manner. He walked over to a bathroom by Moxxi's and ran the water in the sink. He pulled his goggles over his head and splashed the cool water on his face, instantly calming his thoughts back down.

_Get everything straight. Why don't you trust Leesa while everyone else does?  
_

_1. Steele has shown you that Sirens aren't all nice.  
2. With absolute power comes greed and corruption.  
3. Jack had his daughter working for him, why not his wife?  
4. Each time you let your guard down, things went horribly wrong._

_Alright, good. What reasons are there to trust Leesa?_

_1. She saved Tina.  
2. She only spoke to Jack when you told her to.  
3. Maya was right. Leesa could have easily killed us like Jack has always wanted. Yet, she didn't.  
4. We trash talked her husband and she still wanted to help us.  
5..._

Mordecai opened his mouth slightly in a smile as water dripped from his face.

_And 5... She cried for Bloodwing._

oOOOOOOOOOo

"Heyo Sal! Who was the chickadee who saved me?" Tina asked, spinning around in a swivel chair besides Salvador.

"Leesa. She's a special kind of Siren." Salvador answered simply, smiling at Tina's carefree attitude.

"Why was you guys going to give her to Handsome Jerk Face?"

Axton moved from the booth he had been drinking in to sit on the left side of Tina, "That part wasn't supposed to happen. We were going to just show Jack that we had Leesa and then get both of you back."

"Laaame." Tina sat cross legged on her chair, "Oh!" Tina suddenly stood up on her seat as it spun a little from her movement, "I gots some good I-N-F-O for you!"

Axton leaned in, "What is it?"

Tina moved to speak quite loudly into Axton's ear, "Handsome Jerk Face knows how to get an Eridian up in this biznotch!"

* * *

**Ughhh I can't write about Tina to save my life!**


	10. Leesa and John

**Well, here comes the chapter that I'm hoping to get the most emotion ****out** of you guys. Lemme know what you're feeling or your reactions to it are!

* * *

_"MOMMY!"_

Leesa shot up suddenly, panting with sweat coming down her forehead. She half expected to be back at home with her mother near her from the wild dreams she had been stuck in. Leesa ran a hand through the top of her wet hair as she tried to let her eyes adjust to the darkness.

The darkness was enough to calm her nerves as she laid back down on the bed. As she recounted her dreams and what happened at the volcano, arms wrapped themselves around her waist and pulled her into a man's chest.

Leesa instantly panicked and tried to pull herself away until the man bear hugged her and she felt a familiar sensation wash over her.

"Baby." The voice sleepily grunted out.

Tears poured from Leesa's eyes as she realized who she was laying next to. Everything inside of her begged her to push him away and scold him for what he was doing.

She thought about all of the words that she read from Tannis' notebook...

All the evil Jack had committed here against these people made Leesa's stomach sick but as he held her tightly, she didn't think of Jack... She thought of John.

Leesa slowly placed her left hand on Jack's chest and wrapped her right arm around his side, enjoying the embrace until she would confront Jack about everything he had done.

Jack moved his head down to Leesa's neck, leaving a light kiss before nuzzling the nape of her neck. Leesa shivered and moved her hand to hold the back of his head as their legs intertwined together.

She would love her moments with John and loathe the Jack he had become later.

A while passed before she felt Jack stir more. Leesa pulled away slightly to let him sit up so he could turn on a light next to his bed. Before she could move, Jack leaned over her and pulled Leesa into an embrace.

"Mm, it's so good to have you back." Jack whispered sleepily as he ran his hand through Leesa's hair.

Leesa placed her hands on his chest and pulled away a bit to stare into his mask, "If you wanted me around then why did you put me in a box?"

Jack sighed and placed his forehead on hers, "To protect you."

The closeness of their faces caused Leesa's face to heat up and butterflies to bounce in her stomach and chest. Staring into Jack's mask reminded her of right after his accident and how it all made them so much closer to each other. No matter how mad Leesa was at the stories everyone was telling her, Jack still knew how to make her feel like a love struck teenager.

Jack smiled, "I've missed you."

Leesa closed her eyes, "Protect me from what?"

"Pandora isn't a safe place. I needed to make sure you were protected but even that failed."

"The Vault Hunters didn't hurt me." Leesa commented.

Jack placed his hand on Leesa's cheek, "They wanted to though. They don't approve of what I'm doing here."

"I don't approve either."

Jack pulled his face from Leesa's and held her hands tightly, "You probably don't remember this since you've been asleep for so long, but I tried to get their approval for Opportunity here. They didn't want any authority here so the citizens I spoke to all didn't want anything to do with our plans."

"Within good reason. You didn't have to kill all of those people!" Leesa pulled her hands from his and went to get off the bed but Jack held onto Leesa's waist.

"Can I explain, baby? Please."

Leesa turned to look over at him before moving back to sit in front of Jack.

"I didn't get permission from the people here but I did get permission from the higher ups before I became President of Hyperion. I started building Opportunity and they sent that masked assassin to come take you as leverage. I had no choice but to retaliate. I sent robots and soldiers to keep people at bay but when they started threatening you, I couldn't let that go unpunished."

Leesa shook her head, "I don't want you killing people for me."

"I know you don't, but I had no choice." Jack stroked Leesa's cheek gently, making her close her eyes.

"What about Angel? You were with other women?"

"What do you mean? Angel was a Siren I recruited to help me get into a Vault here." Jack genuinely looked shocked which confused Leesa.

"I found out that Angel was your daughter and you used her against her will."

Jack leaned in, "Is that what the Vault Hunters told you?"

Leesa remained silent, unsure of what to believe at this point since she never got a chance to read about Angel in Tannis' folder.

Jack ran a hand through his hair, "I asked Angel to help me with her abilities to charge a key to an Eridian Vault here. She got greedy though and wanted to be free so she could gain all of the profits from the Eridium mines and control what was inside of the Vault herself. She convinced the Vault Hunters to free her, but she didn't realize that the lack of Eridium would kill her."

Jack grabbed onto Leesa's face and forced her to keep looking into his eyes, "I only told them that Angel was my daughter so that they wouldn't try to stop the Eridium flow."

Leesa moved to look away but Jack brought her face back towards his and kissed her lips gently. "Leesa, baby. I have never been with any other women."

"Why did that man push Tina off the volcano?"

"I honestly have no idea. He might have had his own agenda or he accidentally knocked her over. I didn't plan for any of that to happen." Jack explained.

Leesa started crying and hugged Jack tightly, falling into him. She hid her face into his shoulder and mumbled, "I don't want to be here. Can we go home?"

Jack rubbed her back soothingly, "I just have some things to take care of and then we can go home. We don't have to live in Opportunity, just other Hyperion officials."

Leesa took in everything Jack had told her alongside what the Vault Hunters told her. After a while of silence and sorting of emotions, Leesa came to the conclusion:

_This is the man I love. The Vault Hunters never trusted me nor will they ever. Why should I trust people like them over my husband?_

Leesa pulled away from Jack, "I missed you so much! I told the Vault Hunters I wouldn't speak with you and I'm sorry I believed what they said but I was just angry that you were here in the first place and I sympathized with them and-"

"Shh, it's okay." Jack hushed Leesa's rant so she could take a deep breath.

He moved Leesa's face back so he could kiss her again, but this time she kissed him back gently.

When they pulled apart, Leesa looked down and saw giant scars on Jack's sides and along his stomach with a giant white patch protecting a fresh wound on his side. She ran her hand along the old scars before pointing to the bandage, "Does that one hurt?"

Jack shook his head, wiping away the tears that stained Leesa's cheeks.

Leesa moved to sit on Jack's lap as he hugged her tightly to his body, "Can we just pretend we're not on Pandora right now?"

"Mmhmm." Jack nodded and kept Leesa closed to him, "I love you."

"I love you, Joh- Jack."

Jack smiled and pulled his head back to look at Leesa, "You don't have to call me Jack. That was more for publicity sake."

Leesa grinned and teared up slightly, "John..."

Suddenly Leesa was on her back and Jack was on top of her, kissing her lips over and over again. Each kiss pushed every thought of Pandora out of Leesa's mind as she reached over and turned off the light beside them.

* * *

**Alright. Just want to be clear about earlier in this chapter: Leesa didn't hear Jack talk about how he "handles compromises" so she has no idea Jack planned to have Tina fall off the volcano.**

**I know I painted a very different side of Jack in here but pretty much Jack has two sides: Loving John and Evil Jack. **

**I'm hoping you guys are catching on to all of that. **

**What do you guys think? **


	11. Insight for Leesa

**Thank you for all of the lovely reviews (= I'm really glad you guys are enjoying the story!**

* * *

Leesa slowly opened her eyes and yawned as she sat up to stretch her arms out. She faced a window on the wall beside her, basking in the bright sunlight that came through. She put on her clothes and silently got off the bed, picking up her tall boots to leave the room. Leesa walked slowly and stealthily past the door and shut it gently to not wake up Jack.

She sighed and pushed her back against the door, rubbing her forehead in circles, "Why did I give in to temptation?"

Leesa quickly put on her leather brown boots and laced them up.

She looked down both hallways on her side before whispering to herself, "Phase Mirror."

Leesa chose the hallway to her left and walked down it quickly, determined to find out if her husband had lied to her. As she turned the corner, a Hyperion soldier had his back turned to her. She stopped and straightened her back before walking towards him nonchalantly. When the soldier turned around to see her, all he saw was another Hyperion soldier walking towards him. He nodded at Leesa as she nodded back, walking right past him to turn down another walkway. Once she was away from the soldier, her form returned so she could mirror the image of another ally of Jack's.

She kept walking past soldiers and robots and taking their forms until she saw a room that peaked her interest. The black font on the metal door read '**FILES**' and a combination of numbers were carved underneath it.

Leesa tried the handle but discovered it was locked. She looked up to the ceiling and closed her eyes to think of a way to unlock it. Phase Shift wouldn't work cause this wasn't a computer, she didn't know Phase Walk so she couldn't teleport inside, and she didn't have time to find a key.

She smirked when she realized what sub power could possibly work.

Leesa looked around before grabbing the handle, "Dimensional Electricity." Purple electricity pulsed through the metal handle and into Leesa's arm. She kept her mouth shut as the stinging made her arm grow numb. The force of the electricity surging through the handle caused the right combination of pressure plates inside to be pressed down. The door unlocked and Leesa was able to push the door open and close it behind her. She locked the door and flipped the light switch to illuminate the windowless room.

While rubbing her arm to bring back any feeling in it, Leesa walked forward, sweeping her eyes around the room at all of the metal file cases lining the room's walls. She walked right up to the five computer screens on the back wall. There was a giant circle underneath the screens that blinked a red light. No keyboard was in sight.

Her voice came on over the intercom at her presence, "Password?"

Leesa stopped before the computers, confused as to why Jack used her voice as a gatekeeper for his files. She shook her head and Phased her hand through the largest computer screen in the middle of the other four.

Once her hand was all the way inside the computer, she whispered, "Phase Shift."

Each screen blinked on and waited for a voice command to search its database for any information. Leesa pondered what to search for as she pulled her hand from the computer screen. Her hand was see-through with green lines coursing the span of her palm. The effect traveled up her arm and across her face around her eyes.

In a slightly altered voice that resembled the gatekeeper's, Leesa spoke out, "Vault Hunter... Lilith."

Each screen found images and words about Lilith:

_Lilith AKA The Firehawk._

_Siren._

_Lilith first appeared on Pandora in search of Com. Steele and for the Eridian Vault. She defeated The Destroyer and was located in New Haven until Wilhelm was sent to kill the Vault Hunters. She was presumed dead until she teleported Sanctuary from where it stood to where it floats. Under her alias, Firehawk, she led a group of bandits for unknown reasons. She has a suspected relationship with the leader of the Crimson Raiders: Roland._

"Search Roland."

_Roland, leader of the Crimson Raiders._

_Human._

_Roland was a soldier to the Crimson Lance of the Atlas Corp. He arrived on Pandora alongside Lilith, Mordecai, and Brick. He escaped the clutches of Wilhelm and fled to Sanctuary where he took over the Crimson Lance and turned them into the Crimson Raiders. _

**_DECEASED__._**

Leesa stared at the bold words on the screen, "Search archives for Roland's death."

A video appeared on the bigger computer screen. The video played out right before Roland's death. Leesa could see Maya, Axton, Zero, and Salvador standing before Roland and Lilith. Roland looked over to Lilith before facing every one else again. Suddenly Roland's chest opened up from behind and blood splattered before them.

Leesa pulled out of Phase Shift when she heard Lilith scream out Roland's name. The cry shook Leesa to the core and made her step back and start tearing up. She started shaking as she whispered to herself, "That's what Jack took from Lilith..."

She looked up to the screen to see Jack standing behind Roland with a gun in his hand. The look on Jack's face scared her and almost made Leesa stop searching completely.

Leesa breathed out slowly to calm her nerves before entering Phase Shift again, "Bloodwing."

Before Leesa's eyes were videos and notes on Bloodwing's experiments. Once she had scanned through each video and note, she came across a video where a giant Bloodwing was fighting the Vault Hunters. She witnessed Bloodwing's head blow up and Mordecai's shouts, her husband's maniacal laughing, and the shocked look on all of the Vault Hunter's faces.

Leesa's body stood rigid until she lost herself in her anger. She punched the giant computer screen with her right fist as the glass shards cut at her skin. Leesa kept her arm inside of the screen while she looked down at the tiled floor and panted. An instant fear washed over her as a purple liquid dropped down onto the ground in little droplets.

She looked up quickly and saw that the blood coming from her cuts were purple and had traveled down her arm and dropped onto the ground. She moved her left hand to touch the liquid but stopped when her blue tattoos started glowing.

Leesa's eyes widened at the realization:

"I'm... Bleeding Eridium."

* * *

**To avoid any possible confusion, the next chapter will be all about the Siren powers I have created plus the ones everybody already knows about. I was going to explain them here but I feel like it would be too long and deserves its own chapter of explanation. After that chapter, it will be normal story.**

**NOTE: I am looking for someone I can tell the ENTIRE story's plot line to and get feedback from. This will let me know if the story would be good, realistic, or whatever. I will also ask this person for advice and if they want to, they can proof read my stories. If you're interested in this job, please PM me! I will only do this with one person. **


	12. Not Part of Story: Siren Powers

**Sorry if you guys didn't read my AN in the last chapter, but this isn't a story chapter. It's about Siren powers. xD **

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**_1.)Phase Lock:_ **The ability to take a combatant out of battle and lock them within another dimension. Sometimes the Siren can harm the trapped enemy with elemental powers, drain them of their health, or control the enemy to fight their allies for her. The power also may cause enemies surrounding the locked combatant to go flying towards the orb.

**Color Eyes: **Light Blue/Grey

**Nicknames: **The Matriarch.

_**Sub Power: Slag Orb/Phase Shield: **_The Siren can summon an orb of slag to shoot out at enemies from their hands. Phase Shield is where the Siren can call forth a flat shield that resembles the Phase Lock ability. It can catch anything thrown or shot into the shield and discard of them into another dimension. The Siren can also command a circular shield around a person or themselves to be protected from all sides.

oOOOOOOOOo

**_2.) Phase Walk:_** The ability to turn invisible, run faster, and create a blast upon re-entry. Once invisible in the real world, the Siren enters another dimension to run towards an unsuspecting enemy and blast them away. Some Sirens can use an elemental blast, heal themselves while in the other dimension, or even cause the ground to shake beneath them.

******Color Eyes**_**: **_Gold

**Nicknames: **The Firehawk, the Darkstalker.

_**Sub Power: Teleportation/Phase Blast:**_The Siren can teleport themselves, objects, and other people to locations they have already been to. They quickly send the teleportee through another dimension to reach the other destination. The phase blast is an aftermath of anything exiting and re-entering the other dimension.

oOOOOOOOOo

_**3.) Phase Shift:**_ The Siren can tap into all things technological and pull information into the real world. As long as a Siren is connected to one piece of technology originating from one place, they can tap into anything in the vicinity.

******Color Eyes**_**: **_Blue

**Nicknames: **The Grandmaster, the Guardian Angel.

**_Sub Power: Phase Tech:_ ** The ability to transform the real world into a computerized state. The Siren can replay videos found in cameras, retell information, etc in front of other people while using this power.

oOOOOOOOOo

**_4.) Phase Mist:_ **The ability to cloud another person's judgment. The Siren can use this brainwashing power over an unlimited amount of people. The power also grants whomever is brainwashed abilities they might normally have. For example, if the Siren wants a non-flexible person to do the splits that person under Phase Mist will be able to do the splits so long as the Siren wills it.

******Color Eyes**_**: **_Green/Grey

**Nicknames: **The Commander, the Queen, the Manipulator.

_**Sub Power: Hallucination/Phase Acid:**_If Phase Mist is used against another Siren, it will actually cast Hallucination. All that happens is the Siren is paralyzed and sees random hallucinations that keep her preoccupied. Phase Acid is where this Siren can create acid/corrosive orbs to throw at people or make a mist of acid.

oOOOOOOOOo

**_5.) Phase Quake:_ **The Siren can break the line binding the real world with the other dimension which creates hellish storms in the form of acid rain, tornadoes that lead to the other dimension, and tsunamis. The most devastating of the power is what it's named after: Quakes. The force of the line being broken makes the ground break into giant cracks and crumbles the ground. The sound is deafening and on rare occasions, magma will come shooting out of the cracks.

******Color Eyes**_**: **_Brown

**Nicknames: **The StormBreaker, the Saboteur.

**_Sub Power: Dimensional_ _Electricity:_**The Siren can summon purple electricity from the ground Phase Quake splits open. The electricity can slag, daze, and shock an opponent when hit IF the opponent doesn't die from the first hit. Also, if trained well enough, the Siren can use Dimensional Electricity without first making the ground break with Phase Quake.

oOOOOOOOOo

**_6.) Phase Send:_ **The ability to transfer all known powers and chosen memories to another Icebringer Siren. This power will kill the Siren using it and all powers will go to the woman of the Siren's choice.

**Color Eyes: **One normal eye and one purple.

**Nicknames: **The DoomSeeker, the Savior.

**_-No Sub Power-_**

oOOOOOOOOo

**Icebringer ****Powers:**

_**Phase Terror:**_The ability to trap or teleport combatants into another dimension where they live their worst fears. If someone is trapped, they are stuck in an orb similar to Phase Lock and are forced to watch their nightmare. If someone is teleported, they can move freely within their nightmare.

_**Phase Mirror: **_When an Icebringer Siren calls forth Phase Mirror, her image will reflect any other image. For example, if the Siren walks past a man, she will take his exact image. The Siren can either keep the image to use for other purposes or discard the image for another.

_**Phase**** Reflect:**_A Siren can call forth a reflective rip into another dimension. Whatever is hit into this invisible rip will bounce off. For example, a Siren can reflect bullets back into an enemy in front of them.

_**Phase Absorb:**_The ability to absorb any of the other 5 Siren powers that an Icebringer Siren is usually without. Each Icebringer Siren is given Phase Send, every sub power that does not have a main power, and a new power that is a sub power. They are not given the other five main powers and sub powers. Once an Icebringer Siren uses Phase Absorb, whatever power they gained is passed on in the line afterwards.

_**Phase Sight:**_This is the only power that does not have to be muttered. Phase Sight is automatically used when an Icebringer Siren gains their powers. They can sense the slightest body movements, emotions, etc. They can see and feel people's hearts beating and their eyes are less sensitive to changing light and darkness.

_**Phase Summon:**_The ability to bring a creature from another dimension to fight alongside the Siren.

_**Phase Past:**_Once an Icebringer Siren has proven themselves worthy under secret guidelines, that Siren can see everything about the first Icebringer Siren through memories. As is, Icebringer Sirens can see memories of previous Icebringer Sirens and some chosen memories of the original.

**There are two ultimate powers that Icebringer Sirens have but they are a secret due to spoilers for my story. I PROMISE they will be shown/talked about in the story. You will know if they are the ultimate powers if they are BOLD. The first time I ever mention the ultimate powers, I will put them in bold and mention them in the Author's Note. **

* * *

**I really hope this helped you guys out, even if only a little.**


	13. The Icebringer Awakens

**I have been waiting for forever to get to this point of the story! Yaaaaay.**

* * *

Leesa breathed out harshly as her insides felt like they were on fire. _I don't ever remember bleeding fucking Eridium!_

She felt queasy and held onto her stomach, "Not now... Not now, Leesa. Hold onto your sense!" Leesa begged herself to keep her head as she held her tattooed hand out towards the remaining computer screens.

"Phase Shift. Open all files on Sirens, Vault Hunters, and Eridium."

"One moment." Leesa's computerized voice responded as three metal file cases in the room opened at the command of the computer system. Alongside the cases opening, videos and notes flashed quickly on the computer screens. Leesa absorbed all of the information within Phase Shift to replay later in seclusion.

One of the things she caught onto during the absorption was her father's name: Dr. Lovett.

A thousand things raced through Leesa's mind at the sight of her father's name and the explanations of his experiments. She shook her head, clearing up her mind to focus on the task at hand.

Leesa stopped Phase Shift and stumbled over to the first file case. She pulled out random files with her clean hand and arm, quickly scanning to see that it was the case about Sirens.

Suddenly Leesa grunted and fell to one knee with her hand still clutching one of the folders. The beast inside of her was tearing down Leesa's last line of defense: a wall that kept her true self away from The Icebringer. Leesa could feel that The Icebringer sought revenge for some horror that could only be satisfied with bloodshed.

Leesa slowly stood up and forced her body to stay standing as she took random papers from each folder in the case. She folded up the papers together and placed them on top of the folders while unbuttoning each pocket on her shorts. She shoved the papers into a back pocket and fastened it again before repeating this with each open case.

Leesa pushed herself to walk to the door and turn off the light to leave. Once she was in the hallway, Leesa closed her eyes and tried to regulate her breathing. She wiped the rest of her blood on her green tank top and slowly made her way down the hallway. This time, however, Leesa didn't hide behind Phase Mirror, she wanted to be seen...

Icebringer wanted to be seen. Feared. Loathed... Worshiped.

Whenever someone slightly spotted Leesa, they were forced into Phase Terror. Slowly every soldier was being tormented while Leesa continued on her mission.

Jack was just coming out of his room when he turned and saw Leesa. He backed himself against the door in fear at how much Leesa progressed into Icebringer on the short walk. Her eyes were swirling around with dark purple hues and held a empty stare. Ice was covering most of her body and she was slightly levitating off the ground with her blue wings tucked in close to her. Leesa's purple hair floated around her gently and slowly while the purple blood on her shirt showed an ominous sign.

"L-Leesa, sweetie. What's wrong?"

Icebringer's eyes slanted, "Leesa isn't here right now. She's drowning in a sea of your lies."

"I didn't lie to-"

"SILENCE!" Icebringer screamed as the walls shook around them all.

Jack flinched slightly and remained quiet.

"You didn't kill in a protective way like Leesa has. You killed for greed, revenge, and spite... Like I do." Icebringer grinned sickeningly while tilting her head slightly.

"Don't do anything rash." Jack grabbed onto the handle to his room, prepared to run.

Icebringer watched Jack for a while before she cracked her fingers, "Rash huh? Like lying to your wife? Killing innocent people? Settling on already claimed land?" Suddenly Icebringer was right in front of Jack, her face right up against his.

She grabbed onto his chin forcefully as she hovered over him, "How about I show Leesa every memory you wiped from her mind?"

"You can't know those memories." Jack grunted out as Icebringer lifted Jack off the ground.

"Ohhh." Icebringer laughed, "You think I'm the same as Leesa? No. I may be stuck inside of her mortal body, but I am my own being. Whatever you do to Leesa will never affect me."

Jack grabbed onto Icebringer's arm, struggling to breathe.

"Good luck killing me." Icebringer smiled before throwing Jack across the hall. "You shouldn't have come here, Jack. You've bit off more than you can chew."

Jack fell into unconsciousness as Icebringer whispered in a raspy voice, "Phase Quake."

Suddenly the walls around them were ripped from their base as Icebringer tore apart the line that separated their world from the other dimension. Once the walls fell apart, it revealed that Jack had been hiding in the middle of an ocean past the Highlands. Water flew up into the sky, crashing down on the large facility. Buzzards and badass constructors were flung into the ocean while tornadoes ripped apart more buildings in the large vicinity. Each tornado picked up robots and soldiers, banishing them into the other dimension.

Something stirred inside of Icebringer, something that made her sick to her stomach. She growled as she realized Leesa was fighting for control. Icebringer was ready to send Jack into Phase Terror but was stopped by Leesa's sheer will. Icebringer surprisingly smiled, more focused on being proud of the destruction before her. She willingly let Leesa come back from the inner depths to witness what had rained down.

When Leesa did appear, she gasped as she floated above the wreckage Icebringer brought onto the facility. Leesa spotted Jack and fought the urge to go to him. She wouldn't be able to bring herself to harm him, but she wouldn't save him after what he's done.

Leesa called off Phase Quake and while the surrounding area cleared and water fell back into the ocean, she flew off towards land. She focused enough energy to reach land and then let go, falling into unconsciousness as she hit the ground hard.

oOOOOOOOo

_What's going on?_

Leesa's eyes opened slightly, her vision blocked by blurry images. She could feel something wrapped around her leg as it dragged her across the ground on her back. She moved her fingers a little, trying to wake herself up. She was able to grab onto something soft and thin which she pulled from the ground. She could barely make out the green of the grass blades she had grasped for.

"Where are you taking me?" Leesa croaked out, her throat suddenly feeling sore and raspy.

For a while there wasn't any noise, just the soft rustling of Leesa's clothes being tugged on by the rugged ground.

"_We want to explain something to you._" A coarse voice spoke out.

_Can't I just get a break?_, Leesa thought to herself as she groaned from the pain finally hitting her from her fall earlier.

"About what?"

"_Something special."_

"I... I don't understand."

Whatever was dragging Leesa's body had stopped suddenly. Leesa kept opening and closing her eyes to regain her sight and when she finally did, she was startled to see what had spoke to her.

The stalker moved in close to Leesa's face, its mouth unmoving as it spoke, "_Something special... Your father did to us."_

oOOOOOOOo

**Hours later.**

The sun was beginning to set as Mordecai walked down the hill coming out of Overlook. He had just finished talking with the residents about their shield and the possibility of making more for other places.

Mordecai had been conflicted for the last day and a half, thinking about how he felt when it came to Leesa. He had originally been dead set against her but he was slowly coming out of his blind state of anger.

Mordecai knew Maya wouldn't be happy with him if he came back empty handed so he brought enough supplies to save him a few trips to Sanctuary. _Maya can be very intimidating..._

Once Mordecai tossed his bag into his car and walked to the driver's side, he stopped dead in his tracks.

Coming from the area with a stalker den was Leesa. She was struggling to walk and kept falling to her knee just to get back up again. Mordecai was too shocked to move at first but as soon as Leesa looked up and smiled weakly, he ran to her. He leaned down a little to catch her right as she fell forward again. Her body collapsed into his arms as he lifted her up so she was hugging him around his neck.

"Are you okay, Leesa?"

Leesa was slightly taken aback by how genuine Mordecai sounded this moment. Hell, she was shocked he even came to her rescue.

When Leesa didn't answer, Mordecai lifted her up so her legs were wrapped around him. Even though Mordecai was a very thin guy, Leesa felt like a feather to him. Leesa clung onto Mordecai's shoulders, squeezing her eyes shut tightly as her ears rang from every bit of information she had learned within these few days.

Mordecai opened the passenger's side to the car and placed Leesa on the seat. He closed the door and walked quickly to the other side to hop in. Once he was sitting next to her, he started the car and began driving off to talk to Leesa before heading back to Sanctuary.

After driving for a while, Mordecai spoke up, "What happened to you?"

"I saw what happened to Roland and Bloodwing."

Mordecai kept his eyes on the road, driving past Opportunity. Leesa looked over to Mordecai, "Will you ever tell me about them?"

Mordecai stole a glance at Leesa before looking forward again, "If you get me drunk enough, I talk for hours."

"I'll keep that in mind. I could definitely use a drink right now."

"You don't seem like the drinking type..."

"I'm not. It's just been a rough few days." Leesa looked down to her hands in her lap. "I stole some files from Jack. Paper and computer files that I can relay to everybody."

Mordecai nodded, "I hope all of that information will help. Is Jack still where you just were?"

Leesa shook her head, "No, he probably left by now. He was hiding in a facility just across this ocean."

"Why would he have left?"

"I destroyed it."

Mordecai suddenly stopped the car and turned it off. He turned to look at Leesa directly, "Seriously, what the hell happened to you?"

"I found out my husband may have only married me..." Leesa choked up a little, looking out the window near her. "... In order to get to my father's research."

"What? What's so important about your father's research?" Mordecai shifted in his seat.

"It's about Sirens. Apparently he... Apparently my father has the answers to everything."

"... Everything?"

"Why the first Icebringer split her powers, where Eridians went to, and all of that jazz."

"How could your father have figured any of this stuff out?" Mordecai leaned back, watching Leesa's body stiffen. She suddenly faced Mordecai and slammed her tattooed arm down on the console between the two of them.

Leesa pointed to the circular scars on her arm, "That's how."

* * *

**Badabing!**


	14. Location of the Next Vault

**I was talking to a friend today about how I feel with this story and sometimes I just want to make a chapter explaining every important part and just be done with it xD I want to get to some really cool parts already but if I just skipped these parts, it would be lame. Ah well. I'll get there eventually!**

* * *

Inside of the HQ's meeting room, the Vault Hunters and Leesa all stood around the table in the center. Leesa was leaned back against the wall with her arms crossed to hide the purple stains on her shirt. After Leesa showed Mordecai how her father got his information, he drove them back to Sanctuary. Leesa slept for a day and a half before finally waking up to explain everything she learned to the group.

Lilith, Maya, and Salvador had been really worried at Leesa's condition when Mordecai explained how he found her but they didn't disturb her when she was sleeping. Axton, Brick, and Zero were eager to find out about what Jack had told Leesa since Maya was convinced Jack would lie to her for his own gain. They all watched Leesa as she looked down at the table in front of her, breathing softly.

"I uhm... Jack did lie to me about what he was doing here. I also saw... How Roland and Bloodwing were killed." Leesa stole a glance at Lilith who seemed solemn. "I stole some papers from Jack's file room about Eridium, Sirens, and you guys." Leesa reached behind her to pull the papers from her back and front pockets.

"What's that on your shirt?" Axton asked, pointing to the purple stains on Leesa's tank top.

Leesa sighed as she unfolded each pile of papers, "They're just... Stains."

"Where was Jack hiding?" Zero questioned.

"In a facility in the middle of an ocean past the Highlands. The same ocean Opportunity is located." Mordecai answered, taking a swig from his rakk ale.

"Why didn't he just hide in Opportunity?" Lilith pondered, shifting her weight to her left side with her hands on her hips.

Leesa bit her lip before answering, "He knew Icebringer would destroy it."

"What?" Lilith furrowed her brows.

"I lost control and became Icebringer much like what happened at the volcano. Icebringer went berserk and destroyed the entire area. She banished hundreds of soldiers to live their nightmares, she knocked out Jack, and ripped the facility apart. In case you guys haven't figured it out, Icebringer has an agenda and once she's free from my hold she does whatever she wants without consequence." Leesa explained.

No one said anything for a while, just looked around the room uncomfortably.

"I also found out that Jack knew about my father, Dr. Lovett."

"Your husband never met your father?" Maya asked.

Leesa shook her head, "I kept everything about my father a secret from Jack."

Zero's question mark appeared on his mask.

Leesa nervously flipped the papers in her hands around, "My father experimented on me after my mother passed away. He was trying to see if he could copy my powers and give them to other Sirens. He also just wanted to know more about Icebringer and Eridians which apparently I was a key to unlocking that information." Leesa held out her tattooed arm to everybody, showing off her scars.

"Those are... From your father." Lilith commented slowly, "He did to you what Jack did to Angel."

"Similar. Angel wasn't used as a lab rat, though." Mordecai added, handing his bottle over to Leesa.

She looked over at Mordecai before accepting the bottle and taking a drink. She handed it back and closed her eyes, "There's one more thing."

"What is it, senorita?"

"What I mentioned about Sanctuary earlier, it's really important."

Everyone watched on as Leesa entered Phase Tech. A Vault symbol appeared in the middle of the computerized room.

"There are five Vault symbols located in Sanctuary. Once activated by influence of Eridium, they will lead to another Vault here on Pandora that is not held within the Vault Key's map." Leesa made the Vault symbol disappear and showed a paper documented within Jack's computers. The paper was filled with chaotic scribbles that was hard for anyone to read.

Leesa looked down before speaking, "This is why Jack wanted me back with him. It's hard to read but he wants to open the Vault with my help."

"Can't he just wave an Eridium bar in front of the Vault symbols?" Axton jokingly asked.

Maya smacked him in the back of his head, "This is serious!"

Leesa held back a laugh at the two sibling-like friends. She waved her arm and a video appeared that had been recording the room Leesa found the files in. Everyone saw as Leesa punched the computer screen and discovered her blood was purple.

"What... What is that?" Lilith asked, moving closer to the video.

"I found out I bleed Eridium. This liquid Eridium is needed to fill the Vault symbols to direct anyone to the Vault."

"This must be an impressive Vault if it needs blood to open it..." Zero commented, placing his hand on the bottom of his mask in contemplation.

"You have no idea, Zero." Leesa placed her hands on her hips, "This Vault holds an Eridian inside."

"Dude, what?! Tina said Jack knew how to get an Eridian but I thought she was kidding!" Axton yelled out. Everyone in the room looked equally surprised.

"This Eridian could know where the rest of them are. Hell, the rest of the Eridians could be in the other Vaults... Or the Eridian could know more about Sirens and whatever else there is in this universe that we don't know about." Leesa explained.

Brick, who had been silent this entire time, finally spoke up, "Let's go open it!"

"Wait, Brick. We've seen these Vault symbols... It'll require a lot of blood." Mordecai warned while looking over at Leesa.

Brick scoffed, "Maybe there's another way."

"We are not punching our way to this Vault." Lilith rolled her eyes.

"There is no other way. If we don't do this now, Jack will capture me again and if I see his face again... Icebringer will take over, I know it. We have to do this before he gets the chance to." Leesa exited Phase Tech as she talked.

Maya sighed, "Are you going to be okay?"

Leesa smiled, "Don't worried about me. I'm going to give these files to Tannis and then we can go find this Eridian."

oOOOOOOOOo

The rest of the day was spent with the group searching for the five Vault symbols and getting Leesa to use her blood to fill their runes. Leesa had to keep cutting her hand repeatedly to smear the blood inside the symbols. Each time she did this, her body grew weaker to the point that Brick had to carry her to the last two symbols.

At the last symbol, Leesa fell to her knees after smearing her blood on the symbol. Once the blood filled it, a bright light poured from each symbol and shot into the sky. Each light connected to each other and created a giant ball of purple light, shining against the blue sky. The ball of light dispersed in the air so the purple lights would form words of an ancient language Eridian's used for writing.

Every one looked up at the words in confusion and as the light started to fade, Leesa felt like she was reading a familiar phrase.

She knew nothing of the Eridian language but she knew these words, "Acidic Crystals."

Brick picked up Leesa as she kept whispering the phrase over and over before falling asleep.

"Acidic Crystals?" Maya asked, looking around at the group, "What in the world does that mean?"

Each one was silent to ponder the words while Brick held onto Leesa securely.

"It has to be about a place." Axton added suddenly.

Mordecai was the first to realize the place the light spoke of.

"Caustic Caverns."

* * *

**I know, I know. Nothing happened in this chapter, but it needed to be done.**


	15. Stalkers and the Caustic Caverns

**Super sorry for the delays! Hopefully I can get two chapters up today to make up for it! I love you all!  
**

**As to the review about the Eridian, I have specific plans with the Eridian but if you like threshers, I worked something in about threshers and Eridians! I would have PMed you to talk to you more about it but you're a Guest... Ah well. I hope you like it!**

* * *

_The stalkers stopped dragging Leesa once they reached the center of Hunter's Bane. She laid there on her back, looking upwards to the many stalkers that sat before her. Suddenly, each stalker moved to the side to allow a small group of larger stalkers through their ranks. There were eight large stalkers that sat the closest to Leesa who remained still, unable to defend herself.  
_

_"You are very special, Leesa." The biggest stalker of them all spoke.  
_

_Leesa's vision slightly gained clarity but fell back into the blurriness from her exhaustion._

_"What do you mean?"_

_"Your blood created us. Our being." The stalker answered, sitting completely still._

_Leesa grunted as she tried to sit up, ultimately failing and falling back to the ground. _

_"Please... Make some sense." Leesa begged, wrapping her arm around her stomach._

_"Your father wanted to make more Sirens than the world would allow. We are that failed attempt."  
_

_Leesa's eyes widened, "You were... Human?"_

_The second biggest stalker nodded, "Your father experimented on us while using your blood. We mutated since the world cannot hold more than six Sirens at a time."_

_"We did, however, keep Phase Walk." Another stalker commented. "Once we escaped into this open world, we gained the ability to breed and spread out among the land."  
_

_Tears fell from Leesa's eyes as she thought about what her father had done to her and now these poor women turned stalkers. _

_She wiped her tears away, "You... I never knew Phase Walk."_

_"Oh, but you did." The smallest of the talking stalkers stepped towards Leesa, placing its face close to hers, "You just don't remember."_

_"How could I forget a power?" Leesa asked weakly._

_"Your husband took memories from you. You knew every power but Phase Lock, the Matriarch power."_

_"That... Can't..." Leesa forced herself to sit up, causing the stalker to back up. Leesa turned around to face the large group of stalkers, "That can't be true."  
_

_"It is, dear. You need to start remembering if you're going to help us."_

_"Help... You?" Leesa asked._

_"You will know in time. Now, you need to remember something crucial." The biggest stalker stretched its wing-like limbs open before closing them again.  
_

_"How do you know what I have forgotten?" _

_The biggest stalker walked closer, sitting next to the smallest one, "We aren't just a part of you... We are you. We may have been human before this but we are you more than you will ever know."_

_Leesa sighed, "What do you want me to remember?"_

_"There's a lot of things you need to remember. But you are in pain and must remember what your husband did to you."  
_

_"What did he do to me?" Leesa asked, fiddling with her wedding ring._

_"We'll start at the beginning... What you did to your husband's grandmother."_

_Leesa was taken aback, "I didn't do anything to her! She branded his face when we went to reconcile with her!"_

_"There's something after that. You went after her to ask her why she did what she did."_

_Leesa shook her head, "I never saw her again after-"_

_"FOCUS!" The biggest stalker cried out, "You NEED to remember! What did you do to his grandmother? Why did you do it?" _

_"I didn't do any-"_

_"She came at you and you responded, Leesa? Tell us!"_

_"I DIDN'T-"_

_Leesa stopped her shout as Jack's grandmother's voice echoed through her mind:_

"I gave him the push he needed, you will give him his greatest tool."

Leesa was suddenly in Wynonna's living room standing before her. Wynonna was sitting in her rocking chair, knitting a simple scarf.

"What are you talking about, Wynonna?"

Wynonna gave a sickening smile while clutching onto her knitting needle tightly.

_Leesa was thrown out of the short flashback as she cried out and grabbed onto her stomach._

_"Good. Good, remember. Let it flow." A large stalker commented._

_The last thing that came to Leesa's mind from the flashback was her own shouting:_

_"_STAY AWAY FROM HER!"

_Leesa immediately looked at her hands as she felt the sensation of warm blood on them. Nothing was there, however, only dirt speckled on them. She looked up at the stalkers as they surrounded her._

_"There will come a time where you will know how your husband took your memories. There will be a time where we will call upon your help... And there will be a time where you will want to die. Just remember, you must be strong. Not just for yourself Leesa, but for us and the one you were protecting from Wynonna."_

oOOOOOOOOOo

Leesa woke up in Brick's arms as he carried her with the group. While she had slept, they traveled to Caustic Caverns and were half way through the giant cavern on their second trip around. Leesa looked around in wonder at the acid waterfalls pouring into giant lakes, the thresher bodies that were laid to waste by her companions, and the expansive rocky terrain. She noticed that Axton and Salvador had stayed behind in Sanctuary probably to make sure Jack didn't try anything.

Leesa placed her hand on Brick's shoulder, alerting him of her conscious presence.

"I can walk now." Leesa smiled up at the big brute who gingerly placed her so she could stand. He kept his arm out for her to hold so she could keep her balance since her legs were a little shaky. "Thank you, Brick."

Brick nodded, "Not a problem... Slab."

Mordecai and Lilith caught up to Brick and Leesa who were in the middle of their large group with Maya and Zero leading.

"Hey, sleeping beauty's finally awake." Mordecai joked.

Leesa felt her cheeks warm up but hid it instantly in both shock and fear, "Hey, if you lost that much blood you'd probably still be sleeping."

"Wanna bet?"

Lilith pushed Mordecai a little in his arm, "Oh stop it you two. One minute, Mordecai wants to shoot you and the next you're buddies. What in the world happened out in the Highlands?"

"I'm sure it was because I wasn't with Jack and I was beat up as hell. I guess a fighting woman earns the trust of a man like Mordecai over here."

"Are you sure you're talking about Mordecai over here?" Brick snickered. "You did say 'man'."

"Oh har, har." Mordecai muttered.

Leesa laughed gently before Maya and Zero stopped to let them catch up.

"Well, we've walked around this cavern twice and haven't seen anything suspicious." Maya commented.

Leesa looked around the area they stopped in, "Did you see any wormhole threshers?"

"There were two up ahead." Zero pointed to an area between a giant dump truck and the acid lake.

Leesa moved forward, still holding onto Brick's arm to brace herself. They all walked with her until she reached where a wormhole thresher's body was.

"I'm going to let you all on a secret I learned from Jack." Leesa let go of Brick and crouched down, looking at the giant dirt mounds created by the threshers. "There aren't just the few Vaults on Pandora you've seen. This place is littered with them and the biggest signs of Vault locations are what creatures live near them. If there are wormhole threshers or leviathans nearby, there's typically a vault nearby as well."

"Why is that?" Maya asked.

"Wormhole threshers have a unique power much like Sirens but we don't have it. Their wormhole is a vacuum that leads to another dimension but they don't have enough force to send us to it. All they can do is bring us close to them to hurt us with their spikes. They gained this ability by over exposure to pure Eridium in Vaults." Leesa explained, moving her focus up to the giant mountain of rocks across the acid lake.

Leesa pointed to that wall, "There. The Vault has to be over there behind that rock pile."

"How will we get there?" Mordecai asked, "We'd have to cross the lake and then how would we..." Mordecai trailed off as he watched Leesa walk over to Brick and grabbed the rocket launcher off his back. She crouched down on one knee next to the acid lake and took aim at the rocks. Three blasts from the rocket launcher blew the rocks and debris away from the area. Smoke billowed out and once it cleared, they all saw a purplish glow coming from a stone archway that was placed where the rocks had been.

Leesa whispered to herself, "And Sal is worried I can't use a shotgun."

As everyone stared at the opening to the Vault, Leesa placed the rocket launcher on Brick's back, "Can you teleport us there, Lilith?"

"I think I'm going to need Eridium though." Lilith estimated based on the distance and the probability of teleporting them straight into the lake.

Leesa used her tattooed hand to grab onto Lilith's tattooed arm. Once Leesa made contact, both of their arms lit up, "I have enough to spare."

Lilith nodded. She focused her thoughts and energy on the spot of land before the archway and entered through the dimension, sending her and her companions towards the Vault. Everyone but Leesa shielded their eyes from the bright light as they entered and exited the dimension. Leesa let go of Lilith's arm once they were all standing before the Vault's archway.

"Are you guys ready for this?" Leesa asked.

Each one nodded, as they prepared their individual guns just in case the Eridian was hostile.

"We can do this." Maya reassured as they all walked together through the archway and into the Vault.

* * *

**I've been thinking for a while about how I have the story planned out a certain way but things are revealed in a chaotic manner. Once the story is complete and I have the epilogue done, I will add an extra chapter explaining the story as a synopsis. That way if anyone missed something or was confused, it will be explained at a much later time. Also, there may be something I forget to explain in the story and so the synopsis will explain it all. Boom.**


	16. The Eridian

**This chapter is going to be fun to write! I hope you guys like my Eridian!**

**To the Guest who wants more May0:**

**I know I'm taking forever with May0 and I do apologize but they do get together soon after this chapter! I've been trying to pace everyone's relationships in order to maintain a realistic sense of growth between characters.**

**I hope you can deal with me until they get together and thank you for sticking with me for this long!**

* * *

After walking a short way past the archway, the group reached a giant wall made of water. This waterfall distorted the view of the Vault beyond it, cloaking the entire hole of the cavern like a door. Slowly, each person walked through the waterfall and out the other side.

Drenched and a little cold, Maya shivered which brought Zero's attention to her. Zero moved closer to her and draped his arm over her shoulder to pull her close to him. Maya hid a blush and smiled, gaining a slight warmth even from Zero's armor.

"Wow..." Leesa breathed out which brought Maya and Zero back to the real world.

The entire Vault was absolutely beautiful with a high ceiling that brought in sunlight from the surface above. There were light and dark gray walls and floors with giant archways on all sides of the room with pathways that went towards a giant Eridium waterfall. Vines with budding flowers were traveling along the floor and walls, adding color to the gray and purple. The upper floor was in the shape of a giant square that led down to an expansive garden via spiraling staircases in each corner of the room.

Down in the garden was a river of Eridium that rested beneath the waterfall and light green grass that covered the entire area. The ground was a little hilly with flowers of red, purple, blue, yellow, and pink spotting between the grass blades. Within the garden were many trees of different sorts but the most breathtaking was a giant tree with purple leaves in front of the waterfall. Its roots reached the Eridium river on all sides and a circular spot of grassy land stood before the tree with only white lilies on it.

"This isn't an ordinary Vault." Lilith commented, "It's too beautiful."

At the sound of Lilith's voice, three Sera Guardians appeared from the air. They moved in close in a threateningly way while the group pulled out their guns and took aim.

"What are these?" Maya asked, crouching down with her electric infinity pistol.

"Sera Guardians! Watch out!" Mordecai shouted out.

Leesa stood completely still. Something told her these Guardians would... Protect her.

"Stop!" Leesa called out before Mordecai could shoot one with his sniper.

One of the Sera Guardians held its arm out in front of the other two, keeping them at bay while looking curiously at Leesa. That one floated down to the edge of the upper floor and waited there.

As Leesa stepped past Mordecai, he grabbed her arm, "What are you doing?"

Leesa looked back at him, "Trust me."

The look in her eyes caused Mordecai to reluctantly let go of Leesa's arm. She continued walking to the Sera Guardian and stood before it, staring at its black eyes. The Guardian retracted its purple sword in its arm and reached its hand out, the long bony fingers stretching out to touch Leesa's forehead. Once it did, something flash across its eyes for a split second before it looked back at the other two Guardians. They both nodded as the Guardian grabbed onto Leesa's wrist, floating slightly above her while it led her to the staircase.

Leesa looked back at the group, "Come on you guys."

The other two Guardians floated behind the group as they all placed their weapons away and followed Leesa and the leading Guardian. They all walked down the staircase and once Leesa's boots touched the grass, the giant roots of the tree retracted from the river. Everyone watched as they slowly walked towards the tree while its roots pulled up a giant gray case from the side of the river. The roots rested the case against the front of its trunk and then dunked back into the Eridium river.

The Sera Guardians all turned a bright purple color before disappearing from sight. Leesa brought her hand back down to her side as she stood where the Guardian left her halfway across the garden. Mordecai, Brick, and Lilith walked up to her right with Maya and Zero on her left. Leesa took a deep breath before walking closer to the giant case before them. Once they reached it, they all stopped to look at it. It was like a typical Eridian contraption with symbols glowing purple all over it and a purple film covering the front.

Leesa leaned closer and saw a shadow of a tall figure underneath the purple film, "Is this the Eridian?"

"It has to be. Where else could it be in here?" Maya glanced around the garden.

"Any ideas on how to awaken it?" Lilith asked.

Before Brick could say anything, Lilith added, "Except for destroying it."

"Before we awaken this thing I need some answers, Leesa."

Leesa looked back, half expecting Mordecai to have demanded that. Instead, she found it was Zero who had spoken.

"Were you able to communicate with those Guardians?"

Leesa shook her head, "No... I felt like they would protect me and allow us to find the Eridian. There was no need to attack them. I have no idea why I felt that way, but I did."

After some thought, Zero nodded in acceptance to her answer.

"Why don't we rip that purple stuff open?" Brick asked, cracking his knuckles.

"Brick what did I just say?" Lilith went to go off on a rant until Leesa stopped her.

"That may be the only way. There's nothing on this thing but the film." Leesa stepped back so Brick could stand before the case.

Brick dug his fingers into the film and tried to pull it apart, but found it useless. No matter how much he pulled and ripped, the film would not budge more than where his fingers were.

"Hmph." Brick pulled away from the case and stepped back to where Lilith and Mordecai were.

Leesa placed her hand on top of the purple film and felt a small pulsing against her skin, "I can feel its heart beating."

At Leesa's words, the pulsing turned into a fast pounding which caused her to step back. The Eridian from within the case pushed its way slowly through the film. It wrapped itself around the Eridian until the film ripped open and it stepped out of the case. The Eridian stood before the group with its eyes closed, towering over them at 7 feet tall.

Much like the statues in the Vault of the Warrior, the Eridian was very thin with long arms, legs, and neck. Its entire body was gray and looked to be of stone with cracks around its knuckles, ankles, and collar bone. There were smaller cracks around the Eridian's bald head that traveled down the sides of its face. These cracks, unlike the others, were glowing a redish orange color.

Lilith took note of how Mordecai slightly moved to stand before Leesa while Zero did the same with Maya but more predominately.

Leesa placed her hand on Mordecai's arm as she stepped forward, "Hello?"

The Eridian's eyes shot open and looked down upon Leesa. She was instantly captivated by its glowing purple eyes. The eyes were slanted but the look of the pupil and iris resembled that of a human's eyes.

"Trey locke du she?" The Eridian spoke out in a voice that was so mystic, it could not be completely explained. The voice was deep but with a light tone to it that almost sounded like music in a way.

Leesa placed her hand over her heart as it started pounding and hurting.

"Trey locke du she?" The Eridian repeated.

"We don't understand what you're saying." Leesa spoke, looking at everyone and giving them all a look that told them to keep quiet.

The Eridian stared at the group for a while before slowly reaching its hand out to Leesa in a gesture for her hand. Blurred visions flashed through Leesa's mind as she felt a pang in her heart once more. Leesa reached her hand forward and placed her hand in the Eridian's. She had expected to feel stone but its skin was like hers, soft and warm.

The Eridian led Leesa to its side and placed its free hand on Leesa's forehead like the Guardian had before. Leesa looked into the Eridian's eyes as they began to dull while it scanned her mind for traces of her true being.

Suddenly the Eridian wrapped its hand around Leesa's throat and lifted her into the air to be at its level. It stared into her eyes as she grabbed onto its arm to keep breathing. Every instinct inside of Leesa told her to kick and attack but as the Eridian kept its stare, Leesa felt... At home...

"Leesa!" Mordecai shouted out as he took out his pistol and shot at the Eridian's head.

The bullet reflected away from the Eridian and hit Maya in her leg. She yelled out and crouched down while Zero spun around and grabbed onto her defensively.

The Eridian broke its stare with Leesa to look at Mordecai, "You don't know what you've done."

Everyone was taken aback that the Eridian could speak English.

The Eridian tossed Leesa at Mordecai, "I'll be back for her."

Mordecai caught on to Leesa but fell over in the process. Brick ran at the Eridian with his fist pulled back and as he was about to make contact with it, the Eridian vanished into thin air.

Lilith spread out her wings of fire, "Where the hell did it go?!"

Zero picked up Maya bridal style as Brick picked Leesa up off of Mordecai.

"I can walk, Zero!" Maya protested.

"That may be true but we aren't taking any chances. We need to get back to Sanctuary." Zero kept a tight grip on Maya as she struggled a little to get out of his arms.

"Brick, take them back to the fast travel. We're going to go find this Eridian." Lilith ordered as Brick nodded and ran to the stairs with Zero and Maya following him.

Leesa rubbed her neck where the bruises from the Eridian were. Mordecai got up off the ground and pulled Leesa's hand away to inspect her neck.

"What did that thing do to you?" Lilith asked.

"It's a he. The Eridian's a male. He's heading for the Vault out in a giant desert." Leesa answered, allowing Mordecai to look at her bruises.

"Wurmwater?" Mordecai stepped back from Leesa, "Why there?"

"I don't know. But it can't be good. We're definitely going to need to catch our bearings before going after him." Leesa explained while breathing deeply to regain air. "He showed me things I cannot even comprehend. I was able to understand one thing though."

Lilith placed her hand on Leesa's arm, "What was it?"

"He's a gatekeeper."

"For what?" Mordecai asked, a mortified look on his face.

Leesa looked down, "He's keeping an apocalypse at bay."

* * *

**Well, What do you guys think about my Eridian and what's going on?**

**Leave reviews or PMs about your theories! I love them!**

**Special shout out to amorgan6704 for proof reading this for me! I really do appreciate your help!**


	17. Is it Love?

**Thank you so much for all of your lovely reviews! I'm really glad you're all enjoying my story! **

* * *

Zero carried Maya up to her bedroom in the small house she resided in. Zed was able to remove the bullet in Maya's leg and patch her up to the best of his ability. Luckily for Maya, there had been no infection and Mordecai's bullet didn't break inside of her leg.

Zero placed Maya on her bed and propped her leg up with a pillow before he sat down next to her.

"Zero, I'm fine... Seriously." Maya reassured as she sat up on her bed.

"No, you're not. The bullet almost hit an artery."

"Exactly. _Almost_. It didn't hit the artery."

Zero sighed as he leaned forward, placing his arms on his knees, "We shouldn't go after the Eridian with them."

"What? Why the hell not?"

"You might get shot again! If it can reflect bullets, we're useless against it as is and who knows what powers it has."

Maya squinted her eyes, "Zero, you're the biggest challenge seeker I know. How can you even suggest that we stay behind?"

Zero stayed quiet, quite perplexed that he even suggested it. Maya was right, but Zero still felt like they shouldn't go.

Maya placed her hands in her lap, "You've been acting different since Jack escaped the Vault."

"No I haven't."

"You've been really over protective of me. Why?" Maya asked.

Zero clasped his hands together, "You're imagining things."

"You may hide your face, but I know you." Maya moved her hand to Zero's shoulder.

Zero stayed silent, thinking on how to approach this situation delicately.

"Alright." Zero stood up, "I'm going to be completely honest with you seeing as we may all die tomorrow from this Eridian."

Maya raised her eyebrow, "You haven't been honest with me before?"

Zero ignored Maya's statement, "You... You've influenced me somehow. I'm constantly watching after you to make sure you are not harmed. I worry far more about you than I do for any other friend here."

Maya was a bit miffed, "But, I didn't do anything."

Zero paced around the room a bit, "You didn't have to. You have become a distraction... You have been one for a long time now. I've never felt this way about anyone before."

Maya remained quiet as Zero continued.

"My pulse quickens, my temperature rises, and I can't focus on anything whenever you're around..."

Maya bit her lip, "Do you... Like me?"

"In a way, yes. I believe it's much stronger though. I don't know how to act, so I haven't."

Maya blushed and looked down, "I don't really know how to act either."

Zero walked up to Maya and grabbed onto her arms so she would look up into his helmet, "I was planning on leaving Pandora after Jack is dead because I felt there was nothing more for me here. But, I need to protect you Maya. I need to make sure you will be safe. Would you be okay with me staying here even after all of this is over?"

"I don't need protection, Zero. I can handle myself and if you want to leave Pandora, I won't keep you here."

"That's not what I asked, Maya. If you want me to leave, I'll leave. If you want me to stay, I'll stay."

Maya was taken aback. First, Zero admits that he likes her and now he wants her to decide if he stays here or not. Maya was lost in her rambling thoughts, unsure of what to do or say. _'Curse those monks for not telling me what to do!'_

When Maya didn't say anything, Zero let go of Maya's arms and began to walk to the door.

"I want you to stay."

A heart appeared on Zero's helmet as he turned around to face Maya.

The smile on her face was absolutely beautiful and Zero couldn't help but smile under his helmet.

"Okay... I'll stay."

oOOOOOOOOOo

Mordecai entered Moxxi's bar to drink his stress away. He reached the bar table and sat down, leaning on the bar.

"Hey, sugar. What can I get for you?" Moxxi asked, cleaning a glass with an old rag.

"Got any more rakk ale?"

"Fresh out, sorry hun. You'll have to have Slag's Lick."

"That's fine."

As Mordecai waited for his drink, he happened to glance over and saw Leesa sitting in one of the booths by herself. She was on her second mug of Slag's Lick and seemed lost in another world.

When Moxxi came back with his drink, Mordecai leaned in towards her, "How long has Leesa been here?"

"Oh, poor thing's been here for three hours. She almost started crying earlier." Moxxi answered, handing Mordecai his drink. "You should go talk to her, make her feel better."

"What should I do?"

"Well if she's sad here, take her somewhere else sugar. She needs a good cheering up and Slag's Lick will not do that for her."

Mordecai nodded and after he finished his drink, he placed his money on the counter and tipped Moxxi.

Mordecai walked up and stood by the table of Leesa's booth, "Mind if I sit down?"

Leesa looked up, her eyes a little dull and sad, "Uhm, yeah. Sure."

"Are you okay?" Mordecai asked, sliding into the seat across from Leesa.

Leesa nodded and finished off the rest of her drink before pushing her mug to the end of her table, "I just needed some time to think."

Mordecai watched Leesa as she leaned forward and placed her head in her hands. He leaned forward and smiled, "Let's get out of here."

Leesa looked up, "And go where?"

"Out. Let's just go out. I bet you could use some fresh air away from Sanctuary."

Leesa's eyes sparked back to life for a moment before dulling again, "You sure that's wise?"

Mordecai stood up and grabbed Leesa's mug, "Yeah, why not? I mean, it's just a drive." He walked over and handed the mug to Moxxi before going back to Leesa, "What do you say?"

Leesa hesitated before nodding and standing up to follow Mordecai to the travel station. Once they reached it, he chose The Dust and they transported there. Mordecai walked over to the Catch a Ride and digistructed a red car and hopped in with Leesa.

As Mordecai drove around The Dust, Leesa took in the rock and dirt scenery around her.

"What is this place, Mordecai?"

"The Dust."

"Hm. Clever."

Mordecai chuckled lightly, driving aimlessly around the giant mountains of rock.

After a moment of silence, Leesa sighed, "So what changed your mind?"

"Hm?"

"About me."

Mordecai looked over at Leesa before giving in to how he had been feeling for a while, "It's hard for me to admit this, but, I was scared."

Leesa looked over at Mordecai in shock.

"I've let my guard down before and bad things always happened when I did. I was scared that if I trusted you right off the bat, something bad would happen to us. I only changed once I rethought my argument. You were genuinely upset about Bloodwing and... I saw you in a vulnerable state out in the Highlands. You let your guard down around us... Why should I be guarded around you then?"

Leesa smiled, "I never really thanked you for saving me out there."

"I didn't do anything."

"But you did, Mordecai. You could have left me out there to die and trust me I would have. I was exhausted, dehydrated... I would have been picked off by something eventually."

Leesa looked up at the ceiling of the car and reached up to hit a button on it. The button opened up the door that led to the gun at the top of the car. Leesa smiled and climbed up it.

"What are you doing?" Mordecai asked, stealing glances at Leesa as she stood at the machine gun.

She pushed herself higher and raised her arms in the air, letting the wind blow her hair around. She closed her eyes and laughed as Mordecai stepped on the gas to let her enjoy the wind and the freedom that came with the ride.

Mordecai kept driving as Leesa laughed at the wind. He drove through The Dust until he entered Three Horns Valley. He drove slower as Leesa reentered the car to get away from the cold.

Leesa looked over at Mordecai and smiled, "Thank you for this."

Mordecai nodded, "There's an abandoned camp up ahead by the ocean here. Want to see it?"

"Sure."

Mordecai drove over to the campsite behind Split Skull Bay and parked the car. He and Leesa got out of the car and walked over to the campfire that Mordecai ignited with his fire pistol. They both sat down near each other and enjoyed being away from Sanctuary.

Leesa looked up at the night sky, watching the stars illuminate the darkness. Mordecai stole glances at Leesa, taking in how the stars glowed against her purple and blue eyes.

"Mordecai."

Mordecai hadn't noticed that Leesa was looking back at him.

He snapped out of his trance, "Y-Yeah?"

"Are you worried about the Eridian?"

"... I'm worried about what he said."

Leesa cocked her head to the side in confusion.

"He said he'd come back for you."

"I don't think he's going to hurt me."

"Why do you think that?"

"When I entered the Vault... I felt completely at peace and when I felt the life drain from me as he was strangling me... I felt at home strange enough."

"At home?"

Leesa nodded and looked into the fire, "It's kind of why I was drinking." Leesa laughed lightly, "I'm really confused... Sometimes I wish Maya and Zero never took me out of the case."

Mordecai felt guilty about how he had told Maya and Zero before that they should have left Leesa in the box.

"Would you have really been better off asleep? Jack would have gotten to you first and you probably would have helped him kill us."

Mordecai could see the sadness in Leesa's eyes as she thought about her killing any one of them.

"I definitely wouldn't have done that but... I see your point."

Mordecai moved a bit closer to Leesa, gently placing his hand on hers, "Do you need to talk about your father or Jack?"

"You don't need to hear me ramble on."

"Ever since you've been here, not once have we asked you if you needed to talk. Obviously, if you resort to drinking you have something worth talking about."

"Then what about you, Mordecai? Why do you drink?"

"I drink to cope just like you were in Moxxi's."

Leesa sighed, "Basically I'm cursing myself for still loving my husband. I hate him for what he's done and I know I should just toss my wedding ring into the ocean and forget him... But I can't. I remember all the good times and that's why I still love him... Hell, I'm not even sure if I still love him or not. Maybe I'm just holding onto the past too much."

"I can't imagine what that must be like. I've been in bad relationships before, but this takes the cake."

Leesa couldn't help but laugh, "A giant ass cake."

Mordecai smirked before wrapping his arm around Leesa's shoulder and pulling her close to him, "Everything will work out."

Leesa cursed herself silently when her heart started beating fast, '_Yeah, Mordecai is handsome, but you're married. Stop it.'_

She leaned into Mordecai before whispering, "Will you tell me stories about Bloodwing?"

"... Sure."

For the rest of the night, Mordecai and Leesa shared stories about Bloodwing and their pasts. They eventually both forgot the worries around Pandora. The monsters, their inner demons, and their problems all disappeared as they joked and smiled with each other.

But, unbeknownst to Mordecai and Leesa two forces were watching them:

Handsome Jack was watching from the Hyperion Station and wanted to kill Mordecai for being so close to his wife.

And the Eridian was keeping an eye on Leesa, making sure she would not hinder his plans.

* * *

**I hope you guys didn't mind this chapter of just, well... Our romance couples. I wanted a chapter that shows more of their growth. I tried my best to not make either of them cheesy but to make people be happy about the pairings. More will happen between them I promise!**

**Sorry to Moxxi fans! I'm awful at writing her dialogue.**

**I also apologize if the story is solely based on certain characters. I'm just excited to get to the reveals of my story that I kind of neglect certain characters. They will have their chance!**


	18. Jack's Newest Leverage

**So this chapter is half nothing happening and half excitement I guess? IDK. It's just another middle chapter that leads into more stuff. Meh. I hate these chapters.**

**OMGosh. I got a review the other night that made me realize I don't have that much action in here. **

**I know you were very polite about what you said, but I am so sorry! I'm gonna try to add more action xD It is a Borderlands fic after all.**

* * *

"You're not going by yourself, Leesa." Mordecai firmly stated with his arms crossed.

The entire group were back in the meeting room, arguing among themselves about the Eridian.

"Bullets won't work on him and I'm sure if I went by myself, I could find a way to peacefully communicate with him." Leesa defended, standing in front of Mordecai.

"He's dangerous, we've already established that." Lilith added, "Yeah, you're the most qualified Leesa but why can't Maya and I go with you? We have powers that don't require bullets."

"We don't know what else he's impervious to!" Leesa argued, "He could be impervious to everything. The less people that go after him, the less possible causalities."

"You can't go alone, senorita. We won't let you go alone." Salvador walked up to Leesa, "Mordecai told us that the Eridian wants you for some reason."

"You going there will just give him what he wants." Mordecai sighed and rubbed his temples, "Why don't you stay here and-"

"Oh, no no no." Leesa shook her head, "I woke him up. I'm not staying behind."

"You don't have a choice in this Leesa. You can't teleport there, you don't know where the Vault is, and you could jeopardize us getting any information from him."

"Stop it, Mordecai. If you piss me off now, Icebringer will come out and I know she will go after the Eridian." Leesa threatened.

"Just stop it you guys." Maya interjected, "Let's all just go."

"Jack probably knows what we have done and if no one is here, he could attack at any moment. Some of us have to stay behind." Lilith advised.

"How about Lilith teleports Brick, Salvador, and myself there to make sure this thing is even there." Axton suggested, "Sal and I stayed behind last time, we deserve to go this time."

"Why not include me? I'm powerful enough to handle myself!" Leesa argued, placing her hands on her hips.

"'Why', Leesa? Last time we did something like this, Jack got you and I found you in the Highlands fucked up!" Mordecai yelled back.

Leesa was slightly hurt that Mordecai and her were arguing but something in Mordecai's voice sounded like he was doing this out of guilt. She realized that Mordecai's idea to show Jack they had her backfired and it ended up hurting her emotionally and physically. Mordecai was just... Protecting her.

"... Fine." Leesa sighed in defeat, "I'll stay here with whoever else you decide to keep here." Leesa looked up at Lilith, "But, promise me... If something bad happens. You come get me. If I have to come kill this Eridian, I will."

Lilith looked around the room, "Is everyone okay with the group going and staying?"

Mordecai nodded, "We'll hold down the fort, just be careful."

Leesa walked up to Lilith and grabbed onto her tattooed arm, "Take this for the road." Both of their arms lit up as Leesa transferred her Eridium blood into Lilith.

Lilith breathed out deeply, "Thanks. That'll help."

Leesa let go of her arm and backed away as Lilith teleported Brick, Salvador, Axton, and herself to Oasis.

Mordecai looked over at Leesa, "I'm sorry, but we cannot let you fall into the Eridian's hands."

Leesa nodded, "I understand. I'm a little disappointed though. I wanted to know more about him."

"We all do." Zero commented, "But it's better this way."

Tannis walked into the room, "I have a job for you guys to do."

"What is it?" Maya asked.

"The Warrior may be dead but I have some recordings of an even more dangerous creature in Pandora. You need to go kill it." Tannis informed. "I've placed the location in your ECHOs already. Kill it however you see fit."

"We'll take care of it. Thanks, Tannis." Mordecai took out his ECHO to check where it was located.

Tannis walked out of the room to leave the group to discuss what to do.

"Zero, let's go take care of this." Mordecai motioned his head as he went to walk out the door.

"Wait, can't I come?" Leesa asked, grabbing onto Mordecai's arm.

Mordecai shook his head, "I need you to stay here with Maya and keep Sanctuary safe. I trust you to not let Jack anywhere near here."

Leesa's heart skipped a beat, "Uhm... Yeah okay." Leesa nodded, "Be safe."

Mordecai smiled, "We got this." He walked out the door and down the stairs, "Come on Zero!"

Leesa turned around to see Maya and Zero hugging. The two pulled away and Zero jogged out the door after Mordecai.

Maya looked over to find Leesa smiling, "You have got to tell me everything."

Maya smiled, "There's not much to tell."

"Oh sure." Leesa nudged Maya's shoulder playfully, "Come on. Let's go find something to do around here."

**Three Hours Later**

"Where in the world are they?" Maya asked from her seat on the table in the meeting room.

"You heard Tannis, this thing is going to take a while for them to fight." Leesa reasoned, sitting near the table.

"Everyone should be back by now!" Maya pulled out her ECHO and called Zero, "Zero, come in please!"

No response.

Soon after, Lilith came on the ECHO, "The Eridian isn't here."

Leesa grabbed Maya's ECHO from her, "Are you sure? I know what I saw."

"He may have been here, but he isn't now. We searched all over the place." Lilith explained.

Leesa sighed and handed the ECHO back to Maya.

"Come on back. We'll think of something else." Maya responded to Lilith.

"Alright. I'm low on energy so we'll have to use the fast travel. It'll take a while to get there."

"Gotcha." Maya put down her ECHO, "Should we go after Zero and Mordecai?"

"I'm sure they're okay." Leesa smiled, "They're tough guys."

Maya looked down at her leg before looking back up at Leesa, "Do you like Mordecai?"

Leesa was startled at the question and almost fell out of her chair, "Uhm, what?"

"Do you like Mordecai?"

"Do you like Zero?" Leesa retorted to change the subject.

"Fair enough. It's just odd at how fast he changed his opinion about you."

"I know it is odd. But, even if I did have feelings for Mordecai he wouldn't like me. I'm the wife of his enemy." Leesa commented, nervously playing with her wedding ring.

"Stranger things have happened." Maya smiled.

A long silence passed between the two before Leesa spoke.

"Jack's computer said that you were raised by monks."

"Yeah. I was born on Athena and they kept me in seclusion to make me appear as a goddess." Maya responded simply.

"Is Pandora the first planet you've ever traveled to?"

Maya nodded, "Quite a lovely planet don't you think?"

Leesa laughed gently, "Oh yeah. The brochures were not exaggerating."

Maya laughed as well, "I'm glad we found you Leesa."

Leesa looked at Maya in disbelief before responding, "I'm glad you found me too."

The two Sirens looked up at the doorway when they both heard heavy breathing. In the doorway slouched against the wall was Zero. His suit was slightly torn to show pale skin underneath.

"Zero!" Maya called out, moving to get off the table. Zero was faster though and made sure Maya didn't get off. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he leaned over the table.

"Where's Mordecai?" Leesa asked, concerned that he wasn't with Zero.

"We killed Terramorphous but, Jack... Attacked us. He has Mordecai." Zero answered breathlessly.

A sharp pain shot through Leesa's body as rage filled her form, "Do you know where they went?"

Zero and Maya both looked over at Leesa in shock at the tone of her voice. Ice was starting to creep up her arms while her hair floated softly around her.

"Leesa... Calm down..." Maya spoke softly, reaching her hand out towards Leesa.

"WHERE DID THEY GO?!" Leesa bellowed.

"They headed towards where the Bunker was up by Thousand Cuts." Zero answered, grabbing onto Maya to pull her off the table.

Leesa's wings appeared behind her, "Don't follow me." She flew out through the balcony and into the sky.

"We should go after her!" Maya struggled to get out of Zero's grasp.

"No Maya! We're going to need everyone for this. If we go now, Icebringer will kill us."

oOOOOOOOOOOOo

"JACK!" Leesa shouted out as she landed on the top floor of the Bunker. She walked forward to the overhang that faced Terramorphous Peak, scanning for any sign of Mordecai.

"WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU, YOU BASTARD?!" Each time Leesa yelled out, Icebringer won. Leesa was being broken down again as her emotions went haywire.

A whirring noise surrounded Leesa. She spun around frantically, searching for where the sound originated from. Suddenly, the ground opened up and Leesa fell down into the bottom of the Bunker. She went to fly but was sucked down by a vacuum that brought her down into a giant clear orb. The orb closed above her as she regained her ability to fly.

Leesa flew around frantically, banging on the orb, "Let me out!"

Jack appeared on multiple screens that surrounded the room, "I can't do that Leesa."

"Where is Mordecai?!" Leesa growled out, her eyes starting to change into Icebringer's.

"You've left me no choice, Leesa. You've jeopardized our marriage by getting close to the enemy."

"_I _jeopardized our marriage? YOU put me in a box, YOU lied to me, and YOU took memories away from me!" Leesa slammed her body into the orb, nearly cracking the sides.

"I did it all to protect you Leesa! You've put yourself in danger for the last time. Once I'm done killing every Vault Hunter here, I'll come back for you." Jack turned his back to the screen and vanished from the sight.

"Coward!"

Leesa flew around the orb in circles, searching for a way to escape her prison. After a while, Leesa was able to calm down enough to realize she was where Angel had been.

She placed her hand on the side of the orb, "I've... Broken this before." Leesa felt a sense of deja vu wash over her. "Jack wiped a memory of this place from me too."

Leesa floated down to the floor of the orb and sat down on her knees. She placed her hands on the sides of her head, "Remember, Leesa. Please remember. Come on."

Nothing came to her. Absolutely nothing. Leesa looked upwards before laying down in the fetal position, "How could I have thought I could save Mordecai... When I can't even save myself?"

* * *

**Man, lots of Leesa stuff going on here. Leesa's kind of bi polar when it comes to her Icebringer side xD **

**Please please please please let me know if I'm still pacing everyone's relationships well or not! I need to know these things!**


	19. How Jack Hindered Leesa's Memories

**Alright, let's bring out Mordecai stuff! Yay!**

* * *

Mordecai sat in a chair with his hands tied behind his back. The room he was in was empty besides the chair. It had no windows and only one door that was on the wall facing him. He was staring straight ahead at the door, adrenaline filling his nerves as he anticipated his chance to fight.

Jack opened the door to the room and closed it behind him, standing in front of it with his arms crossed, "Good to see you again bird boy."

"What do you want Jack?"

Jack chucked shortly, "I want you to stay away from my wife. How simple is that?"

"It's not simple. Your wife hates you."

"No she doesn't."

"Then why isn't she here?" Mordecai asked, shrugging his shoulders the best he could.

Jack smirked, "Oh but she is here. She's going to help me kill you."

'_I knew she would come if I didn't return.'_Mordecai thought to himself.

"She wouldn't do that." Mordecai defended.

Jack got in Mordecai's face, "My wife is just using you pathetic fools. I'm doing you a favor by killing you before she gets the chance."

Mordecai didn't flinch, "How low can you sink, Jack? Insulting your own wife..."

"Don't speak about my wife!"

"She has a name, you know."

Jack leaned back and breathed out of his nose harshly while running his hand through the top of his hair, "You've gotten more ballsy."

"You're just losing your touch."

Jack punched Mordecai in the face, leaving a red bruise on his cheek.

Mordecai spat out a little blood, "Funny you only punch me when it's your honor I insult but not Leesa's."

Jack grabbed Mordecai by the front of his shirt and threw him off of his chair. Mordecai's body slammed into a corner in the room.

"Don't you say her name."

The entire time Jack had been talking, Mordecai was loosening his hands from his binds. Jack tossing him caused enough of a distraction to get his hands completely free. He hid this though, waiting for his chance to strike.

"Leeeeeesssaaaaaa." Mordecai taunted.

Jack growled and stormed over to Mordecai, ready to kick him. Mordecai quickly got up and slammed his body into Jack's, causing him to fall onto the ground. Mordecai got on top of Jack and started punching him over and over until Jack was knocked out and Mordecai had caused a crack in Jack's mask.

Mordecai sat up, "You don't deserve her."

He walked out of the room and locked the door behind him. He leaned his back against the door and cracked his knuckles, "Where would you keep her?"

Mordecai looked to the side and saw his guns and sword laying against the wall of the hallway. He grabbed them and check the ammo in each gun. Everything was there.

Mordecai ran down the hallway, looking back and forth at all the labels on the multiple doors. Finally, he came across one that made him realize where Leesa was.

"Angel Core Control Room" was written on a door next to Mordecai. When he saw the words, he ran down every hallways until he reached a giant red button next to giant double doors. He slammed his hand on the button and waited for the doors to open.

A bullet rushed past Mordecai's head and hit the door in front of him. He turned around and saw three Hyperion soldiers behind him. One turned invisible which made Mordecai smirk.

"You think you can hide from me?" He pulled out his sniper and quickly aimed down the sights at one soldier and took their head off. He ducked right in time to avoid a blow from the invisible solider. Mordecai rolled on the ground right underneath another bullet shot off by the last visible soldier. He sliced the leg on that soldier, causing him to fall over. Mordecai pierced the soldier's head with his sword and then quickly took out his fire pistol and caught the invisible soldier on fire with another head shot.

Mordecai sheathed his sword and went to run through the doors when he noticed five more soldiers coming after him. He turned his back to them and threw a grenade behind him before running through the doors and slamming the other button on the inside to close the doors.

Once they closed, he could hear the muffled sound of an explosion behind him.

Mordecai ran to the giant orb in the center of the room while looking around to keep an eye out for any more soldiers.

Leesa was laying inside of the orb in the fetal position, crying. Mordecai stopped running once he was close enough to the orb to see her.

"Leesa!"

Leesa immediately sat up and wiped the tears from her eyes hastily, "Mordecai?"

When Leesa saw it was Mordecai, she flew over to the side he was facing and placed her hands on the orb, "Are you okay?"

Mordecai nodded, "Are you?"

Leesa smiled, "Zero was really beat up."

"As soon as these robots had me, Zero went after Jack himself. I'm surprised Zero walked away from the beating he took." Mordecai explained, placing his hand on the orb over Leesa's.

"Where's Jack?"

"He's busy. Do you know how to get out of this?"

Leesa sighed, "Icebringer could probably get out of here."

"Could you trigger her and then come back out of it?" Mordecai asked.

Leesa shook her head, "No guarantees."

Lights in the entire room switched on, illuminating the room more. Leesa and Mordecai looked around the room as robots began to digistruct from all sides of the giant room.

Jack reappeared on the screens, "I told you to stay away from my wife."

Leesa banged on the orb, "Try to find some cover, Mordecai!"

"There's nothing here!" Mordecai faced the closest robot that was appearing and aimed at it with his corrosive pistol.

He took out a few robots as Leesa kept pounding on the orb to get free. More and more robots appeared and made their way to Mordecai. When he got shot in the shoulder and dropped his pistol, Leesa could feel her anger coming back.

"Finish him!" Jack commanded as he watched on, eager to see blood spill.

A flash appeared before Mordecai as robots were blasted away from him. Lilith, Brick, Salvador, Axton, Zero, and Maya appeared from the blast.

Mordecai smiled, "Man, am I glad to see you guys!"

Brick ran off towards the robots and started slamming them into the ground and punching them in critical spots, "Finally some action!"

Lilith vanished and kept blasting enemies into the air and blowing them apart.

Maya stayed behind Zero, phase locking enemies while Zero snipped the trapped enemies and those pulled by phase lock.

Salvador pulled out two guns and ran the opposite way of Brick, taking out robots, sentries, and soldiers on the left side of the orb.

Mordecai turned around and focused his attention on the orb trapping Leesa, "Are there any weak spots on this thing?"

"Mordecai, focus on the fight! I'll find a way out of here!" Leesa almost begged him, making sure no enemies targeted onto Mordecai.

He reluctantly nodded and picked up his pistol again and ran after Axton who was setting up his two turrets on the wall.

Leesa floated around in circles inside of the orb, watching as her new friends fought. Each one had amazing skills that contributed to the team and it greatly impressed her. She looked up and saw Jack's amusement at the fighting going on. Jack was happy that these people were so close to death.

Leesa looked down at her wedding ring before pulling it off of her finger, "I'm not married to you anymore." She whispered to herself.

Before Leesa could drop her wedding ring, new thoughts and memories flooded her head. She tossed the ring aside to grab onto her head as it began pounding. She fell to the ground on her back as she remembered the words the stalker spoke to her:

_'There will come a time where you will know how your husband took your memories...'_

It all made sense to Leesa as she recounted her stolen memories... Jack had used a sacred bond between spouses to hide things from her.

* * *

**I forgot which kind of Hyperion soldiers turn invisible. My bad. I was too out of it to look it up xD that's what I get for typing this at 4 AM lol**


	20. Forgotten Memories

**This entire chapter is just flashbacks of what Jack erased from Leesa's memories. I mentioned to a fan that there are three big reveals in this story and this chapter contains one of them. Some memories won't be explained like what happened with Tina and such cause those aren't as important.**

** Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

_Leesa knocked on the door of Wynonna's house on Pandora. When Wynonna didn't answer, Leesa pounded harder on the door._

_"Wynonna! I know you're in there! I just want to talk!" Leesa called out._

_After a moment of silence, Wynonna responded, "Come in dear."  
_

_Leesa took a deep breath to calm herself and walked through the door. Leesa closed the door behind her and saw Wynonna on a rocking chair in her living room, knitting a simple scarf. Wynonna wore a green shawl, peach glasses, and tan pants with black bulky shoes. Her white hair was short and thin and her gray eyes were dull and tired._

_Leesa walked over by the fireplace and stood before Wynonna, "Why did you do it?"_

_"Do what dear?"_

_"Are you playing the senile card Wynonna? That may work with everyone else but I know you're faking." Leesa crossed her arms._

_"Why would you travel to this place in your condition, Lily?" Wynnona asked innocently, barely looking up from her work._

_"Stop it. You know my name. You know what happened." Leesa gritted through her teeth._

_Leesa sighed when Wynonna didn't respond. _

_"While we were visiting you so you and John could reconcile, you snuck into our room while we were sleeping and you... Branded John with a hot iron. You blinded him in one eye. Your grandson! The man you raised!" _

_"That doesn't sound like anything I would do..."  
_

_"Wynonna stop it! I'm not wearing a wire, nobody else is here! Stop pretending."_

_"Pretending...?"_

_"WHY DID YOU DO IT?!" Leesa shouted out, throwing her arms down in frustration._

_"I gave him the push he needed, you will give him his greatest tool." Wynonna's face looked angry as she pulled out a knot she created in her scarf and started knitting that area again._

_"What are you talking about, Wynonna?"_

_Wynonna gave a sickening smile while clutching onto her knitting needle tightly._

_"Why did you marry my grandson?"_

_"What kind of question is that?" Leesa asked._

_"I just want to know why you would marry broken goods."_

_"How can you say that about your own flesh and blood? John wanted to make things work between you two even after what you did to him!"_

_"Simple. Blood isn't as deep as everyone claims. I'm sure you understand, after all... You're broken goods too." _

_"WYNONNA ANSWER MY DAMN QUESTION!"_

_"What question is that dear?"_

_"Why did you brand John with that marking?"_

_"Have some respect! That is a Vault symbol!" Wynonna pushed herself from her chair while holding onto her scarf and needles._

_"I don't care what it is! Why did you do it?"_

_"Insolent child!" Wynonna came at Leesa with a surprising speed, raising her needle above her head._

_Icebringer sensed where Wynonna would strike her and pushed her way through Leesa, "STAY AWAY FROM HER!"_

_Icebringer used one of her ultimate powers, **Phase End** to rip Wynonna to shreds before she could land the needle in Leesa's stomach. As soon as the blood splattered across Leesa's face, body, and hands, Leesa pushed Icebringer back into submission. Leesa started sobbing as she fell to her knees and held onto her giant and round stomach. _

_She sobbed and wailed loudly, "Your mom's a killer, Angel. I'm sorry."_

oOOOOOOOo

_Leesa walked the halls of one of the compounds John kept Leesa and Angel in on Pandora._

_"Just tell him you'll leave him... He has to listen to reason." Leesa whispered to herself in preparation of the fight to come. _

_As she walked the hallway, Leesa came across a room she always wanted to go inside of. The door was titled "FILES" and had some numbers engraved under it. Leesa used Phase Walk and teleported behind the locked door. She touched the wall inside the room until she found a light switch and turned on the light. Leesa looked around and saw some folders on a desk in front of the giant computer screens against the back wall. She walked up to the table and saw a folder on the top of the others that said:_

___"The Angel Shift Project: A documentation of Dr. Lovett's journals"_

___"My... Father?" Leesa shook her head and opened the folder, scanning through the pages._

___Leesa hit a page that frustrated her:_

"After many years of experimentation, I have found out an interesting fact about Icebringer Sirens. If an Icebringer Siren becomes pregnant with a girl and has the child at the exact same time a normal Siren dies, that child will automatically gain Siren powers. Normally, Sirens pass on their powers randomly. I have enlisted my student John Locke to be my daughter's suitor to test out this theory. Noted, my daughter has never seen my student and will not recognize him when I stage a meet up between the two many years from now. If John joins Hyperion when he is older, he will able to use their resources to track down a Siren and have that Siren disposed of at the time of my daughter's labor.

I have recommended that he finds a Siren with the ability of Phase Shift and to name the daughter Angel. Thus Angel Shift. I have discovered that if used correctly, Phase Shift can be used to take complete control of planets' systems, corporations' files, and many other wonderful possibilities. Funnily enough, the only reason I suggest the name Angel is that it's a name of innocence. Anyone will trust a girl named Angel, no matter what happens."

_Leesa started shaking as she threw the table at the wall and teleported to where John said he would be earlier... The Bunker. __Leesa ran up the ramp that would take her to an elevator that John never let her use. When prompted to speak a password, Leesa phased her body through the floor and fell down to the bottom. _

_Once she landed, she hit the giant red button in front of her and gained her wings to fly through the hallway. _

_"JOHN! ANGEL!" Leesa screamed out while flying down the hallway. Once she passed it, doors flung open and Leesa's eyes widened._

_Inside of a giant orb was her nine year old daughter. _

_"Leesa! What are you doing here?" John asked from the screens on the walls._

_"YOU SON OF A -" _

_"MOMMY!" _

_Leesa let out a shaky breath as Angel placed her hands on the orb she was stuck inside of._

_"It hurts, mommy."_

_Leesa started shaking again, "Get back, Angel!"_

_Angel obeyed and floated with her small wings to the back of the orb. _

_"Leesa what are you doing?!" John called out as Leesa flew through the air like a bullet and broke through the orb with her body. _

_She grabbed onto Angel's arms as the Eridium flow attached onto Leesa. She grunted but held onto her daughter tightly._

_"Angel, baby. I have to take your powers away."_

_"Why mommy?"_

_"People will hurt you because of your powers. You want a good life don't you, sweetie?"_

_"Yes mommy." Angel's bright blue eyes stared up at Leesa._

_"Phase Absorb." Leesa's eyes glowed as she started absorbing her daughter's powers. _

_Angel cried out a little, clutching onto her mother._

_"I know it hurts, but it'll be over soon." Leesa reassured her daughter as she ran her fingers through Angel's dark hair._

_Before Leesa could finish taking away all of Angel's powers, a metal collar was forced around her neck. Leesa screamed as it shocked her and her wings vanished. She held onto her daughter tightly as she fell onto the ground. _

_"Mommy?" Angel sat up and pushed on Leesa's shoulders. "Mommy!"_

_The last thing Leesa saw before she passed out was John entering the orb and grabbing Angel as she screamed and fought._

_"MOMMY!"_

oOOOOOOOOo

_Leesa woke up to see a white ceiling above her. She felt completely numb and couldn't move anything but her fingers. She heard a noise from her right and tried turning her head, but couldn't._

_John appeared hovering above here, "Hello Leesa."_

_Leesa tried to talk but realized she was mute. She couldn't even move her lips to mouth words to him._

_John leaned against the sides of the case and reached in to brush Leesa's cheek, "I know what you must be thinking. I saw my file room."_

_Leesa managed to glare at him._

_"Yes, your father wanted me to marry you just for an experiment... But I did fall in love with you. I do love you, Leesa. Hell, the reason I went along with the plan was because I had a crush on you when I was under your father's teachings. You never knew me, but I knew you." _

_Leesa let out a muffled sound that almost resembled a whimper._

_"I do love Angel too, but in order to secure our future I need her powers." John explained._

_At the sound of her daughter's name, Leesa fought whatever was keeping her paralyzed, "Whatever... You're doing to her... Will kill her." _

_John looked surprised that she was able to talk._

_"I don't care... If you're my husband. I will kill... You for what you've done. No one will... Come between me and... My daughter."_

_John grabbed Leesa's left hand and lifted it up, "You won't remember any of this." John slipped off Leesa's normal wedding ring and brought out another identical one._

_"What are you..."_

_"I know you love me enough to never take this wedding ring off... No matter what I do." John explained as he slipped on the new ring._

_Leesa closed her eyes as she felt her mind throbbing._

_"... You weren't supposed to find out, Leesa."_

* * *

**Boom. Whatcha guys think?**


	21. Final Encounters

**So sorry I haven't updated in a while! PHILO is kicking my ass. There are people who like and understand it and I am not one of those people xD**

**I'll do my best to get as many chapters up tonight as I can so you have stuff to tide you over just in case!**

**Also, I want to apologize for how certain characters haven't shown up much and that they are OOC. I'm trying my best to incorporate everyone but I'm not that good working with other people's creations. **

**I make OC stories all the time with my own characters that are like Borderlands characters sometimes, but once I know they are not my characters I just can't work with them as well. Bizarre I know, but I'm trying! (=**

* * *

An EXP Loader ran over towards Maya's side as she focused her phase lock on enemies in front of her and Zero. Zero noticed the EXP Loader and ran at him, pulling out his blade and throwing himself at the robot. His blade pierced the center of the robot's head causing blue sparks to exit on impact. Zero pulled out his sword and back flipped out of the way as the Loader blew up. He ran over to Maya and swept her up into his arms as he ran over to where Brick was.

From where she was in Zero's arms, Maya phase locked a robot in the center of a horde going after Brick. Brick smirked as he ran to the trapped EXP Loader and punched it right as Maya released her hold around it. The EXP Loader blew up from the punch, taking out the multiple robots surrounding them. Brick folded his arms in front of himself and skidded backwards slightly from the blast.

Lilith shot the arms and legs off a RPG Loader with her SMG and ran over to it. She grabbed onto its arm that threw rockets and phase walked over to a group near Axton. She bent down on one knee when she reappeared and used the arm to shoot rockets at the Badass Loader inside of the group. It went down from the shots easily, but another Badass Loader took its place. Lilith was just about to teleport out of the way of its shots when Axton threw out his turret in front of her. The shield absorbed the shots and weakened the Loader enough for Lilith to phase blast it to bits from her phase walk.

Salvador ran around, ducking and dodging the tall robots as he shot them repeatedly in Gunzerker mode. In one hand, he had an infinity pistol and in the other he had a corrosive shotgun. He used the shotgun to corrode the enemies and blast off their legs while the pistol was used to finish them off. As he ran around, a Bull Loader targeted onto him and made its way to him with its arms in front of it. Salvador didn't notice it until it was right behind him. He kept shooting at it with his pistol once Gunzerker mode ended, backing up to keep it at bay. From behind him, Brick came running and slammed his right shoulder into the Bull Loader, flying it across the room from the collision.

"Gracias!" Salvador shouted out as he let Gunzerker recharge before pulling out his shotgun again and running off towards Axton and Lilith.

Mordecai took up a position by a bunch of the broken robot bodies. He set his sniper up against them and was taking out Loaders left and right. A turret digistructed above him and was charging a shot. The sound caused Mordecai to look up and before he could react, Zero threw one of his Kunai knives at the turret. It blew up, dropping turret pieces all over Mordecai. He looked over to Zero and nodded in appreciation.

Mordecai looked around and noticed an Angelic Guard reaching its arms into the orb and grabbing onto Leesa's leg. She was thrashing on the ground with her eyes closed, lost in her flashbacks.

The Angelic Guard was pulling Leesa closer to the orb's walls to take her out when Mordecai sniped its critical point, "Stay the hell away from her."

Axton had noticed the Angelic Guard as well and threw his turret to stick to the orb Leesa was in. He ran to the other side and threw the second one on the orb, keeping all the Guards at bay.

As the Vault Hunters kept fighting, they slowly started growing tired while their ammo was depleting. Each one was relying more on their skills and melee weapons than anything else.

Suddenly the lights in the room turned off and a scream filled the void. Lilith made her wings appear which illuminated the room in a small portion. The group heard explosions and the screeching of metal surround them before the lights turned back on.

Everyone looked around and noticed that all of the Loaders were gone and ripped apart.

"What happened?" Axton asked before they all noticed that the orb Leesa had been in was split open with jagged cracks all around it. Leesa wasn't inside.

"Where's Leesa?" Maya searched from beside Zero, limping around in circles slowly.

Jack appeared on the screen, breathing harshly while holding onto his mask to hide the crack Mordecai caused in it.

"Send in the construc-" Jack was cut off when static appeared on all of the screens save the one Jack was on.

Inside of the static, Icebringer's bright eyes appeared with purple hair blowing in front of them.

She held a permanent glare as rage filled her eyes, "Contrary to your belief, _Jack._ I'm not the monster. _You _are."

"Leesa don-" Jack went to speak again.

"You killed Leesa the day you put her in that case. If she had woken up with her memories intact, it would have caused the end." Icebringer informed.

Mordecai looked up at the biggest screen with Icebringer's eyes on them, "What did Jack hide from yo- Leesa?"

Icebringer ignored Mordecai's question, "I do, however, have you to thank Jack. Without you, I wouldn't be so close to the surface of Leesa's subconscious. With your help, I can be here forever."

"I don't care about you Icebringer. Everything I have done was for Leesa and-"

"LIAR!" Icebringer shout caused the room to shake and the screens to let out a high pitch screech. "Killing a mother's daughter is inexcusable."

Lilith's eyes widened, "Leesa is... Was Angel's mother after all..."

Mordecai clenched his fist, anger overwhelming him, "You son of a bitch!"

"I didn't kill Angel! The Vault Hunters here did!" Jack defended.

"Correct. But you made Angel _want _to die. You told her she killed her mom then you used her as a slave. What you did was far worse and you'll pay."

All of the screens with Icebringer on them turned off. Everyone turned their attention to Jack's screen. Icebringer suddenly appeared right behind Jack before grabbing him from the back of his neck and the screen turned off.

"Where'd she go?" Brick asked.

Jack flew out of the screen and hit the ground on his back in front of the Vault Hunters. Icebringer flew out after him and floated above the ground before walking on it. Her wings disappeared as she walked up to Jack and placed her boot against Jack's collarbone, pushing towards his neck.

Her hair flew around chaotically as she glared at Jack while he tried to pry her foot from his chest.

"Leesa, baby. I'm sorry. You know I love you!"

"Your words mean nothing now." Icebringer simply stated.

Lilith went to move forward, "You shouldn't-"

"LEAVE ME ALONE!" Icebringer shouted out, keeping her eyes locked on Jack.

Mordecai stepped up to Icebringer's side, "Don't do this, Leesa. You'll never forgive yourself."

"I'M NOT LEESA!" Icebringer snapped as she whipped her head around to look at Mordecai.

He sighed, "Then why are your eyes not like Icebringer's?"

Leesa's eyes softened as she moved her attention back to Jack. She pulled her foot back slowly, backing away from him.

Jack propped himself up with his arms, "Leesa, let me explain..."

"NO!" Leesa shouted as tears rushed down her face, "You took me from my daughter!"

"Everything would have been fine if these Vault Hunters didn't get involved! She would be alive right now-" Jack started off on his rant, yelling and blaming the Vault Hunters for everything.

Leesa looked over at Mordecai who took out his gun slowly, watching Leesa for confirmation.

She nodded and looked down at the ground, wrapping her arms around herself as she drowned out Jack's rants.

Mordecai aimed his pistol at Jack's head, causing him to shut up. Mordecai looked at him for a while before putting his gun back, "You do this Lilith."

Mordecai moved over to Leesa and grabbed her arms, pulling her into a hug. He pushed her head into his chest to keep her from seeing Jack.

Lilith moved over to Jack and placed her hand on his face, "This is for Roland, asshole." She blasted his face, instantly killing him. His cracked mask flew off as his body hit the ground.

Leesa cried out and clung onto Mordecai as Lilith backed up away from Jack's body.

"Well, that was melodramatic." Axton whispered to Zero.

"I don't think Jack was the main problem with all of this. There's something bigger going on here." Zero responded, staring at Jack's body.

Mordecai held Leesa tightly as he looked over at the group, "We should get out of here."

From within Mordecai's arms, Leesa held out her arm for Lilith's. Lilith moved over to her and placed her arm inside of Leesa's hand. With the added energy from Leesa, Lilith was able to teleport them all back to Sanctuary.

* * *

**Well, I hope you like this chapter! **


	22. Leesa and Mordecai

**So for this part with the Eridan, if the quote goes like this:**

**"*hello*"**

**That means that they are speaking their own language but cause I want you all to obviously understand what they are saying, it'll show up as such.**

* * *

**7 Months Later**

_The same Eridian that was discovered in the Vault in Caustic Caverns stood in an open field. There was no wind or sound, just the Eridian, green grass, and a few white flowers._

_"*You must do me a favor, Trey.*" Another Eridian materialized next to the gray Eridian, facing him. This Eridian resembled stone with cracks on its knuckles and head but they were light blue. This Eridian's skin was a light orange color with a few brown speckles on its face and stomach._

_"*Anything for you, Nora.*" The gray Eridian, Trey responded._

_Nora reached forward and grabbed onto Trey's hand, holding it tightly._

_"*There will be a woman with blue tattoos on her arm. She will be an Icebringer Siren... The first ever to have locks of purple.*" Nora explained, looking up at Trey._

_"*Why are you telling me all of this?*"_

_"*I want you to spill her Eridium blood.*"_

_Trey squinted his eyes, "I'm a gatekeeper, not a killer.*"_

_"*This is a part of your duty... Being a gatekeeper.*" Nora responded, closing her eyes._

_"*The wise-men told me I was going to stop an apocalypse while they are away.*" _

_"*She is the apocalypse. If you allow her to live, worlds will cease to exist.*" Nora placed a hand on her heart as blood poured from her chest and through her fingers. _

_"*But what about the others? I'm supposed to let them come bac-*"_

_"*There won't be any others if you allow her to live! Please, Trey...*" As the blood poured from Nora, she leaned against Trey while he held her. Trey's flesh started to burn as soon as he and Nora came into contact._

_"*How am I supposed to find her?*"  
_

_"*Destiny will set forth a series of...*" Nora wheezed, "*... Events that will have her awaken you.*"_

_Trey held onto Nora tightly, "*Don't go.*"_

_"*End the suffering...*"_

_Nora's body burned into ashes and flew away in a sudden gust of wind. Trey looked straight forward as Nora's blood filled the field up to his knees. He leaned forward and reached his hand into the blood, pulling up a handful of purple hair. He kept pulling on the hair until Leesa's face appeared, gasping for air while covered in Nora's blood._

Leesa cried out as she woke up, moving her way off the bed to sit in the corner of the room she was in. Her eyes scanned the bedroom, looking for any signs of an intruder. She pressed her back against the wall when she heard footsteps and saw a light switch on from underneath the door. She jumped slightly when the door opened.

"Leesa?" Mordecai asked, looking around the room. He was wearing a white tank and brown striped boxers. The light from the hallway reached Leesa in the corner, showing her to Mordecai.

He walked up to her, crouching down to be at her level, "Are you okay?"

Leesa stared at Mordecai for a moment before nodding, "Yeah, bad dream."

"That's like... How many since...?" Mordecai trailed off, not daring to finish that sentence.

"Twenty-two." Leesa answered. She placed a hand on her head, "What time is it?"

"2 AM. Same as last time." Mordecai answered, reaching his hand forward, "Come on. I'll keep you company."

Leesa bit her lip before accepting his hand and he pulled her up off the floor. When Leesa stood up in front of Mordecai, she looked up and finally realized that Mordecai's goggles were off. His eyes were a wonderful shade of brown that captivated Leesa for a moment.

"Why do you always wear those goggles?" Leesa asked, finally pulling her attention away from Mordecai's eyes.

"I don't want anything clouding my sight when I'm sniping." Mordecai simply answered, "Not the most mysterious answer like Zero's mask, but ah well." He shrugged.

Leesa smiled as she followed Mordecai out of her room and down the hall to his living room "Thanks for letting me stay with you, again. I really appreciate it."

"No problem."

Leesa sat down on Mordecai's couch as he walked over to the kitchen. After a few minutes, he came back with drinks for the two of them.

He handed Leesa a mug and sat down next to her, "You going to finally tell me what these dreams have been about?"

Leesa sighed and brushed some hair behind her ear, "Usually they're about Jack... Or Angel. This time it was about the Eridian."

Mordecai set his drink on the table before him, "What about the Eridian?"

Leesa thought about the Eridian pulling her by her hair out of the other Eridian's blood...

"It was very cryptic. I didn't really understand what it meant."

Mordecai nodded, "Are you going to stay on Pandora after we find the Eridian?"

"I don't know. This place has too many bad memories..." Leesa trailed off, considering the pros and cons of staying on Pandora.

"I'm positive no one wants you to leave. You're part of our messed up group of misfits, Leesa."

She smiled, "I'd miss you guys too, but I could get a job back at the academy or go back to school for another degree."

"What did you go to school for anyway?" Mordecai asked, leaning back into the couch.

"I wanted to get a Construction Management Degree. I actually planned out some of the buildings Jack and Hyperion used here."

"Impressive." Mordecai noted, "Those buildings are a bitch to even dent."

Leesa laughed gently and nudged Mordecai's arm, "Tell me, why are you still here?"

"I don't really have anything waiting for me off of Pandora. Everything that's important to me is here."

"I'm sure your friends are quite flattered." Leesa joked, finally drinking from her cup.

Mordecai smirked, "Well not so much. To be honest, there's one reason I'd ever leave Pandora."

"Oh, so you are mysterious."

"It won't be a mystery for too long."

"Why's that?" Leesa asked, cocking her head to the side.

"Once you tell me if you're leaving Pandora or not, you'll know the answer." Mordecai leaned back on the couch, his arm stretching out on the back of it.

Leesa rose an eyebrow, "Why would you leave Pandora if I left?"

"Isn't it obvious?"

Leesa breathed out, "You're sure it's wise to grow that kind of attachment to me?"

"Is it ever wise to grow attached to anyone?"

"This isn't the time to be profound, Mordecai." Leesa placed her cup down while moving to sit cross legged on the couch, facing Mordecai.

Mordecai leaned in a little, "Would you leave Pandora if I left?"

Leesa bit her lip, "I- I'm not sure..."

"So I'm guessing I'm the only one who feels this way?"

"No-No... Well. I just... Mordecai..." Leesa looked down, "I hate bringing this up but all I've ever know is Jack. I mean, I highly doubt I'd ever be in another relationship under the same circumstances but Jack was my first boyfriend, love, husband..."

"I understand that, but things change Leesa. You can always fall for another."

"But in what way, Mordecai?" Leesa stood up to walk away from the couch.

"What do you mean?"

"I do like you Mordecai... A lot. But I just..."

"If you still love Jack, that's fine. I can wait-"

"No. I don't love him anymore. But I don't want to use you as a rebound. I don't know if my feelings are real or if I'm just attaching myself to the nearest man because I'm in need of company."

Mordecai walked over to Leesa and grabbed her upper arm, causing her to turn and look at him.

"If being a rebound allows me to be with you, fine. I'll be your rebound."

"That wouldn't be very healthy, Mordecai."

Mordecai gave Leesa a funny look which made her laugh, "I guess it'd be healthier than what I just went through..."

Leesa stopped laughing when Mordecai's face got close to hers. She blushed and placed her hands on Mordecai's shoulders as he wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Will you be uh... Willing to take a questionnaire before we go any further?" Leesa asked in a whisper.

"Mmhmm." Mordecai nodded.

"You weren't asked by my father to affiliate with me?"

Mordecai smiled and shook his head, "Nope."

"Are you just getting close to kill me?"

"Of course not."

"Are using me for my powers?"

"Never."

"You woul-"

"I would never do anything Jack did to you."

Leesa closed her eyes and sighed gently.

"I know I wasn't the friendliest to you in the beginning, but you really grew on me."

"Apparently I have that affect on people." Leesa opened her eyes when Mordecai's forehead was pressed against hers softly.

After a while of staring at each other, Mordecai stated, "I'm not going to let that Eridian get to you."

"I don't want you getting killed."

"I promise I'd be careful if it came down to it."

"I also don't want you accidentally shooting anyone..."

Mordecai scoffed playfully, "I thought we were past this?"

"All's fair in love and war."

Mordecai smirked, "I suppose you're right." He closed the gap between the two of them and kissed Leesa.

* * *

**I know while reading this story, Mordecai and Leesa's relationship seems rushed right now but please take into consideration that this is 7 months after Jack died.**

**Ughhh I try imagining how Mordecai and Moxxi acted together to try and keep him in character with Leesa but I couldn't. I feel like Mordecai and Moxxi would be well... About you know. But I really want him to be a secret romantic. **

**UGH.**

**By the by, next chapter is a May0 chapter! I hope you guys are excited about it! ^_^**


	23. Zero's Newest Contract

**Sorry to keep you guys waiting for this May0 chapter! **

**Great news!: **

**I will be able to update more often after August 15! My PHILO class ends then so I won't be as busy. Then after August 26th, I will have classes Mondays and Wednesdays but for a couple of hours between the classes, I'll have access to a computer so expect updates every Mon and Wed AFTER August 26th! Of course, I'll update on other days as well but there's guaranteed two days of the week until January!**

**I want to thank the Guest named Alice who corrected my Spanish! THANK YOU SO MUCH! I was hoping someone would come around and correct me. I'm awful at Spanish and all I have is the internet which is not a reliable source. I was hoping you had a fanfiction account so I could PM you for more translations but ah well. I hope you will continue to correct me as the story progresses!**

**Thank you so much to my loyal and new readers! Your reviews help me so much and I appreciate every single one of you! If you have questions or concerns about anything, PM me! I WILL respond and answer any questions so long as they are not spoilers! **

**If you want to help me with adding to Axton's, Brick's, or any one else's personalities or have any ideas you want to express with me, PM me! I will talk with you and if the idea works with my story, I will use it and give you full credit! I will also draw a picture of Leesa thanking you that will be placed on my DeviantArt! **

**I'm going to make one that has each of my follower's, Guest's, reviewer's, and the people who favorited me or the story's names on it and then separate ones for those who have helped me like Alice, amorgan6704, and many more!  
**

**Even if I didn't use an idea of yours, I will express my gratitude with a drawing!**

**I love you all!**

* * *

Maya sat on the roof of one of the tallest buildings in Sanctuary. She looked up at the purple sky as stars slowly faded and an orange hue came from the horizon. Maya noticed Zero jumping from roof to roof, moving higher and higher around Sanctuary until he found his way to the roof she sat on.

Maya turned her head to Zero, "Hey there, stud."

A smiley appeared in front of Zero's helmet as he walked over to Maya and sat down next to her, "How are you?"

"I'm alright. I just couldn't sleep." Maya answered, stretching out her arms in front of her, "Did you sleep okay?"

Zero nodded, "I woke up when I heard Leesa scream from Mordecai's house... Her nightmares are back."

Maya looked down, "Do you think it was right for us to kill Jack with her in the room? She didn't even get to say goodbye."

"We've been over this, Maya and even if it was wrong of us, we can't go back and change it. What's done is done."

Maya nodded, scooting closer to Zero when he opened his arm for her to lean against him.

He wrapped his arm around her lower back and pulled her close, "I don't want you worrying anymore."

"I can't help it. I mean, Jack's gone, but I'm so on edge. I think it's because it's been so long since we've seen or heard anything about the Eridian. It just... Vanished."

Zero lifted up his helmet above his nose and leaned in towards Maya's ear, "I'm not going to let anything happen to you."

Maya smiled and moved her face to kiss Zero before he put his helmet down.

With the glimpses Maya has seen of the lower portion of Zero's face and his topless form when they sleep, she's noticed that Zero's skin is so pale that it lacks any peach color. Maya's thought about the possibility of Zero's skin being so pale since he doesn't show any of his skin, especially in the sun. The only thing that kept her from pursing that thought was because Maya could not feel Zero's pulse. Whenever he hugs her, she can't feel his heart beat even when his shirt is off. These things led to the possibility of Zero being so pale because of the lack of pulse and blood flow.

Although rare, there are plenty of other humanoid species in the universe but Maya has never encountered another besides the Eridian. She had no clue what Zero could be, which led her to like him a lot more. Not only was he mysterious, but he was willing to do anything for her. Something rare in a man anywhere... Or so Maya had heard from Lilith and Leesa.

"Maya?"

Maya snapped out of her thoughts and smiled at Zero, "Yeah?"

"Have your feelings grown or diminished since we first talked about us being together?"

Maya laughed gently, "They've grown Zero. Why would you ask that?"

Zero shrugged before pulling Maya in between his legs and holding her close to his chest.

She smiled and leaned back against him, "It seems we've really got this boyfriend/girlfriend thing figured out."

A heart emoticon appeared over his helmet, "Yes. It didn't take as long as I thought it would."

Maya slid down a bit so she could move her head back to look up at Zero, "I'm glad you're the one I fell for, Zero. I know that sounds extremely cheesy but... I trust you with everything."

Zero moved his helmet up so he could kiss Maya's forehead, "And I with you..."

Maya looked back up at the sky as her heart pounded.

"There's something I want to ask you, Maya."

"Hm?"

"I need a favor. Something crucial that involves... Us."

Maya responded without hesitation, "Anything."

Zero leaned forward and held his arms in front of him on his knees, "I can't begin to explain everything about my... Career. But, there's something I can't deal with anymore. My boss has crossed the line and I need to stop this path of killing needlessly."

Maya moved to sit in front of Zero on her knees, "We already talked about your occupation. I don't care if you're still an assassin as long as you don't kill anyone innocent."

"I can't go through with this next contract they have me on. They've allowed me to kill people on Pandora that are mostly bandit leaders... But, this next one is an innocent person that I cannot harm."

Maya grabbed onto Zero's hands, "What is it that you need me to do?"

"Can you pull my right glove back and roll up the sleeve up to my elbow?"

Maya nodded and did so, exposing more of Zero's pale skin, "Now what?"

Zero used his left hand to guide Maya's hand towards halfway up his forearm and pressed her fingers down on his skin.

Maya suddenly felt something hard under his skin and pulled back, shocked. "What in the world is that?"

"Every assassin has a chip in their arm that record and track contracts. I need you to... Cut this out of my arm."

"You're serious?"

"Dead serious." Zero placed his left hand on Maya's cheek, "I need this chip out of my arm or I won't be free from this contract."

"Your boss will allow you to stop being an assassin if I take this thing out of you?" Maya asked, very skeptical about the situation.

"No, but it's a start. As long as this chip is in me, I am obligated to take out this next target."

"Who is the target?"

"I'll tell you after you cut the chip out of my arm."

Maya sighed in defeat, "Okay. Let's get this over with."

Zero pulled out one of his Kunai knives and handed the hilt to Maya, holding onto the blade. Maya hesitantly took the knife and placed her fingers on Zero's arm to feel where the chip was.

"Why can't you just do this, Zero?" Maya asked quietly.

"I'm not allowed to touch the chip."

"You and your assassin rules..."

Zero smiled under his mask, "It's not that bad."

Maya placed the tip of the knife against Zero's skin where the chip was. She took a deep breath before slicing the knife into Zero's arm, cutting a line right below where the chip was.

Maya stole glances at Zero's helmet, waiting for any emoticons to appear. Nothing appeared the entire time and no words were uttered from Zero. Maya placed her fingers above the chip and pushed it down through Zero's skin to push it towards the open cut. Once Maya saw the chip's edge slide out of the cut, she pulled it out and reached into her back pocket to pull out napkins. She placed them on the cut and wiped up Zero's blood from around his arm.

Zero reached forward and took his knife back, "That wasn't so hard, was it?"

"We need to get you to Zed, now."

"Wait, Maya."

Maya held the napkins to Zero's arm as she looked up at him. She was shocked to see that Zero had taken off his helmet completely, exposing his face to her.

Zero's eyes were slightly bigger than a normal human's and his pupils were black diamonds. His irises were gold with a brown circle in the middle by the pupils. Zero's eyebrows were dark brown while his hair was lighter brown and short save for a long pony tail that went down to his lower back. His ears were relatively normal except they were a bit bigger and slightly pointy. Attached to his left ear was a small white plastic tag with the number "0" on it. he had a scar on his face that went from his right eyebrow to the side of his eye down to underneath his ear.

Maya reached forward with her clean hand and touched Zero's cheek, stroking it with his thumb.

Zero closed his eyes, "You were the contract, Maya. Monks from Athenas sent in an order for your death and evidence of the deed."

Maya's eyes widened, "There's a contract out on me?"

Zero nodded, "In a week of not responding to the contract, my boss will make another assassin come after us."

* * *

**Boom. What do you guys think of my Zero? I'm expecting a lot of hate at how he looks a lot like a human. But bring it on, I want to hear what you guys think Zero looks like!**

**And because a lot of this chapter was Maya and Zero taking care of stuff, they will be the stars again for the next chapter! Whoo!**


	24. Lynchwood's Secrets Part One

**I'm really glad you guys were okay with how Zero looks in this story! I'm constantly changing how I think Zero looks cause there's that giant room of creativity there. So if I make another story, he'll most likely look different in that one. Or I may do one with the cyborg idea. Who knows!**

**Also, once I'm done with Chapter 25, I'm going to go back through each chapter and fix errors. Spelling, grammatical, etc. Nothing major but it'll be nice without the mistakes.**

* * *

Maya and Zero walked towards the HQ while holding hands. In Maya's other hand was the chip she cut out of Zero's arm.

She placed the chip in her pocket, sighing, "We can't tell anyone about this."

"Maya, we're going to need everyone's help with this." Zero stopped walking and held onto Maya's hand tightly to stop her as well.

Maya looked up into Zero's helmet, "They all have bigger things to be concerned about."

"What I told you isn't a concern to the others?" Zero asked, "Everyone cares about you."

"I know but they need to focus on finding the Eridian."

"How long do you think we could keep this a secret? It didn't take long for Tina to find out about us."

Maya smiled, "There's a difference between a relationship and an assassination attempt."

Zero let go of Maya's hand to hold onto her shoulders, "We won't be able to keep this secret and we shouldn't."

"Do you know the assassin they'll send?" Maya asked, holding onto Zero's arms.

"I have a feeling it's Seven, but I won't know until the assassin shows up."

"Why do you think it's Seven?"

Zero crossed his arms, "Seven was our newest member... She showed great promise and has moved up the ranks to second best very quickly."

"Who's the first?"

"I am... I was. Without that chip, she's probably moved to the first through default. But that won't matter." Zero responded.

"Why not?"

"She hasn't bested me in battle yet. I can take her on, but it would be better if the group helped."

Maya sighed, "Okay... Let's tell them in a few days. If you, the most solitary man out there suggests we need help then I can't really argue."

Zero nodded, "Normally I would just go take care of the problem but it isn't wise. There's always that slim chance I wouldn't be able to come back to you."

Maya looked down to keep her tears at bay, "Thank you, Zero."

Zero tilted Maya's head up by her chin, "If they do send Seven, she won't stand a chance against all of us."

Maya smiled and nodded.

"Maya! Zero!" Lilith called out as she ran up to the two.

"Yeah, Lilith?" Maya asked, turning to face the other Siren.

Lilith stopped running when she reached Maya and Zero, "Tannis just told me that there's weird seismic activity out by Lynchwood. She thinks there's a giant group of Threshers moving towards there."

"That is very odd. Threshers aren't normally there..." Maya trailed off.

"I think there may be a Vault out there." Lilith explained, "Why else would Threshers be moving out there?"

"What if the activity isn't from Threshers?" Zero asked.

"We still have to explore the possibility of a Vault out there. Leesa doesn't have any more clues as to where the Eridian is and he wasn't where she said he was. All we can do is keep searching Vaults until we find him." Lilith answered, "Are you guys willing to go out there for us?"

Maya looked over at Zero before nodding, "Yeah. We could us an adventure."

"Awesome. I'll stay here with Tannis and keep looking into where other Vaults are. ECHO me if you guys find anything." Lilith walked over to the HQ door to head inside.

"Wait, Lilith." Zero caused Lilith to stop by the door.

Lilith turned to face him, "Yeah?"

"Can't the Vault Key tell us where the rest of the Vaults are here?" Zero asked.

Lilith shook her head, "Leesa and I wen't over the map. The Vault Key only has Vaults on other planets charted out. There isn't a map for Pandora."

Zero nodded as Maya grabbed his arm and called out while walking away from the HQ, "We'll be back later, Lilith!"

"Good luck!"

oOOOOOOOOOOo

In Lynchwood, Zero and Maya walked out of the train station and into the bright sunlight.

Maya shielded her eyes with her arm as she stood next to Zero, "Does Lilith really think there's a Vault around here?"

"Leesa said there are Vaults literally everywhere on Pandora. We know the signs, so it shouldn't take long to either confirm or deny Lilith's claim." Zero answered, moving his body to the side where the sun was hitting Maya. Once his shadow blocked the sun from her eyes, Maya put her arm down and smiled up at Zero.

"Where do you think we should check first?" Maya asked, scanning the area of Lynchwood for signs.

Zero pointed over to their right, "There's the cave over there where Salvador helped that one Skag find a home."

"Oh, Dukino!" Maya walked past Zero towards the cave, "Good idea!"

Zero followed Maya slowly, scanning for the bandits that were usually roaming the area.

A few bandits ran out of a door beside Maya and Zero, aiming their weapons, "Leave!"

Maya reached her hand forward and balled it into a fist, "Shut up!"

One of the bandits became trapped in her phase lock and caused the rest nearby to stumble towards the orb.

Zero ran up to the bandits and activated his decoy, vanishing his true form from sight. He effortlessly made his way around each bandit before forcing his blade through two enemies at once. He pulled his sword free and jumped back when a Goliath jumped down from the roof in front of him. The decoy kept the Goliath busy for a while before it vanished.

When Maya shot and killed the last bandit in her phase lock, she gained the attention of the Goliath.

Maya backed away from the Goliath, shooting at it with her electric infinity pistol. As the Goliath's health decreased, its rage grew. It turned into a Raging Goliath and came running at Maya. She kept shooting it as it got closer and closer, waiting until she could use phase lock again. Once it was close enough to hit Maya, its small head blew up. The Raging Goliath hit the ground to the side of Maya, showing Zero crouched with a sniper in his hands.

Zero ran over to Maya, inspecting her, "You okay?"

Maya nodded, "Thanks."

Before Maya and Zero could walk towards the cave, a voice caused them to stop.

"Hey... You two." The voice of a woman whispering came from where the bandits had been.

Maya pulled out her pistol, pointing it towards the voice.

"Wait... Wait! I'm not going to hurt you..." The owner of the voice crawled out from a hole the Rats normally come from. She held her arms up by her head, showing she was unarmed. The woman wore tattered clothes and was covered in dirt. She had long blond hair and dull green eyes. On her arms were chemical burns and bandages falling off from her wounds. She was really petite and around the same height as Maya.

Maya lowered her weapon, "What do you want?"

"Are you two going to the cave?"

Maya nodded, "Why?"

"I'd suggest not going. Something strange is happening there."

"What do you mean?" Maya asked.

The woman shook her head, "I'm not sure but I can sense something wrong here... Usually it's wrong here but it's even worse."

The woman suddenly jumped, startled by the train passing by loudly. She looked around, her body shaking softly, "I have to go..."

"Wait! What's your name?" Maya walked a little closer.

"S-Shale. My name is Shale... He's coming."

"Who's coming?" Maya's eyes held a deep concern over the fear written across Shale's face.

"I- He... I have to go now!" Shale suddenly yelled out, holding onto her head before getting down on the ground and crawling into the hole she came out from.

"Wait!" Maya ran over to the hole and crouched down, looking inside of it for Shale.

Zero walked over to Maya and pulled her up, "She might be dangerous, Maya. We should just go."

"No one can fake such a fear..." Maya looked over to Zero, "I want to find her when this is over."

"Why?"

"She shouldn't be in a place like Lynchwood, Zero..."

Zero sighed, "Okay, we'll come find her when we come back to leave."

Maya smiled and hugged Zero, "Thank you."

Zero nodded and hugged Maya quickly before pulling away, "Now come on, let's get this taken care of."

Maya followed Zero as they walked down the path to the cave.

Halfway there, Maya stopped at the sight of a gathering of skags by the entrance. Zero stopped beside her and watched as Maya pulled out a grenade from the belt on her hips.

She smiled, "I've been wanting to test out this bad boy."

Maya threw the grenade as far as she could, landing it in the middle of the skags. By the time they were alerted of Maya and Zero's presence, the grenade exploded into ten child grenades that sent out bursts of fire, killing every skag nearby.

Zero looked over at Maya, "You have grenades on you that do that?"

Maya laughed lightly, "Oh, Marcus you crazy bastard."

Zero smiled as he followed Maya to the cave and through the entrance. Once they entered the cave, Maya noticed a body of a creature on the ground in the center.

"Dukino!" Maya called out, walking over to the body. Maya stopped when she was close enough to the body to identify it.

"What is it Ma-" Zero stopped as well, looking around cautiously.

"It's not a Thresher..." Maya started until the ground underneath them shook.

Zero grabbed onto Maya to keep her steady as he pulled her back to the entrance, "We have to get out of here!"

Maya took out her ECHO as she ran with Zero, "Lilith! We need back up NOW!"

"What is it?!" Lilith yelled back through the ECHO.

"Just send Leesa!" Maya put her ECHO away right when rocks from above came crashing down, blocking the exit.

"Dammit!" Maya hissed as her and Zero turned around to see the back of the cave crash inwards, sending a gigantic form through the rocks.

_Leviathan!_

* * *

**This chapter is split in half cause it's kind of long... I mean, that's good but I want each chapter to be kind of short as it has been so far.**

**Plus, cliffhanger. xD I love making cliffhangers!**


	25. Lynchwood's Secrets Part Two

**Part two of Lynchwood's Secrets is here! Whoo! Let's get to fighting!**

**Also, I added nicknames to chapter 12: Siren Powers. Each Siren has a nickname based on their powers and whatnot. **

* * *

This leviathan was bigger than the first one they all encountered. At the end of its gigantic fins were long sharp claws that dug straight through the ground and rocks. Its neck was longer with a wider jaw and more teeth. Underneath the leviathan's skin were flames coursing through it which allowed it to spit out bombs of flame.

Zero grabbed Maya's wrist and pulled her to the side away from a fire bomb. They ducked in behind a giant rock in the arena.

"What the fuck is a leviathan doing here?!" Maya cursed out, pulling out a Conference Call. She peeked out from behind the rock and shot at the leviathan, her Conference Call doing little damage.

Zero shot at the red cracks on the leviathan where the weak points were on the leviathan from Oasis. All that happened was the leviathan got angry and commanded sand worms to pop up from the ground.

Zero hid behind the rock and grabbed Maya's face to make her look at him, "We have to keep it distracted until Leesa gets here. Just keep moving."

Maya nodded and rolled past the rock she was behind and ran to another where sand worms were. She phase locked one which pulled it out of the ground and instantly killed it. Because she killed the sand worm quickly, another phase lock bounced around and grabbed another, killing that one instantly as well. It was able to bounce around three times before vanishing.

The leviathan pulled its head back into the giant mouth on its shoulders and pulled back into the giant hole it created. Using its claws, it grabbed onto rocks and flung them out at Maya and Zero.

"Maya!" Zero used a Torgue weapon to blow up the rock going towards Maya.

She held her arm above her head as small rocks flew around her. Maya smiled and looked over at Zero when she saw a rock about to hit him.

"Zero!"

"Phase reflect!" A blast of light appeared in front of Zero, causing the rock to fly back at the leviathan. It forced its head back out and looked at what threw the rock back at it.

Leesa floated before Zero, her tattoos glowing softly with her arm held out.

"Leesa!" Maya smiled before an orb of acid flew by her. She turned her attention back at the sand worms, shooting them with her Conference Call.

Zero looked up at Leesa, "There's no weak points on the leviathan."

Leesa nodded.

"Let's take them out boys!"

Maya, Zero, and Leesa looked over to the buildings attached to the walls of the cave. Bandits, Goliaths, and Rats came pouring out of them, shooting at everything moving in the area.

"Are you kidding me?" Maya called out, phase locking a Goliath by Leesa and Zero.

Zero looked over to Maya and then back to Leesa who smiled, "Go help Maya. I'll figure something out."

Zero nodded before taking out bandits and sand worms to get to Maya. He sent out his decoy while brushing past sand worms. He jumped onto the back of a Lab Rat and pushed his sword into its neck, landing on top of its body before taking his blade and running to Maya. Once he reached her, he threw his Kunai knives at a sand worm that blew up into acidic mist.

Maya backed up, "We can't kill anymore sand worms!"

Zero picked up Maya, running towards the blocked entrance of the cave, putting her down behind the another giant rock.

"Leesa!" Zero yelled out.

Leesa just barely dodged the claws of the leviathan, "What?! I'm a little busy over here!" She flew up over to the head of the leviathan, forcing her hand onto its forehead. Ice from her arm started encasing its head, causing it to freeze in place for a moment.

"We have to hurry or get out of here!" Zero responded, sniping the head of a Goliath in the back near the leviathan.

The ice cracked and flames engulfed leviathan's head and Leesa's arm. The ice on Leesa's arms melted and kept the flames from burning her skin, steam appearing from the interaction.

Leesa flew away from its claws, "Dimensional Electricity!" Out of her tattooed hand, purple electricity pulses through the air entering the cracks on the leviathan's skin.

The leviathan cried out, swiping at Leesa. It made contact, throwing her across the cave. She hit the wall of the cave and floated there, catching her breath. She looked down and noticed Maya throw out a grenade that caused multiple fiery explosions around the area, killing a majority of the bandits.

Leesa flew down to Maya and grabbed her arms, "Have you unlocked phase shield, yet?"

Maya shook her head, "What?"

"It's one of your sub powers. You can protect Zero and yourself while I take care of this leviathan."

"I don't know how to use it though!" Maya explained, pulling away from Leesa to shoot at a Rat that got too close to their rock.

"I need you to try to harness your powers. Now is the time to become The Matriarch, Maya."

Maya turned back to Leesa, "We don't have t-"

"I can't protect you two. I don't have your powers, Maya. Focus. Use the shield." Leesa flew up into the air and towards the leviathan.

Maya closed her eyes, _The Matriarch..._

She held her hand out before her, whispering "phase shield". Nothing happened though. She kept trying, each attempt slowly forming an flat phase lock before her. She got one the side of her hand when acid hit the rock in front of Maya. She jumped and rushed herself to keep trying. After a while, the shield stopped appearing. Maya cursed herself, _Come on Maya! You can do this!_

Maya stopped trying when she heard Zero grunt from pain. She looked over and saw Zero ripping at the black fabric across his chest where acid had hit him. When he got enough fabric off, it revealed giant acidic burns on him from the sand worms.

Maya grabbed onto Zero's arm, "Zero!"

Zero breathed out harshly, using his Unkempt Harold to kill the sand worm that spat acid at him, "I'm fine..."

He started coughing from the acid mist that was clouding the air, he leaned forward onto his knee which made Maya follow him.

Maya coughed, "We need to get out of here..."

"There's no way out." Zero responded, trying to stand again.

"No, Zero! Stay!" Maya kept him on the ground, looking around as a Badass Goliath turned the corner around the rock and took aim at them.

Maya glared at the Badass Goliath as her body shook and she yelled out, "Phase shield!"

The walls of the shield came together, securing Maya and Zero as the Badass Goliath pelted them with bullets. Maya held her eyes shut tightly, focusing all of her energy on the walls keeping them safe.

Leesa flew around the leviathan's face, waiting for her moment to strike. Once it opened it's mouth to ready a fire bomb, Leesa turned her entire body into solid ice and flew through the fire pouring from the leviathan's mouth. She forced her way down through the leviathan's body until she reached its stomach.

Leesa held out her arms and caused ice to encase herself and the stomach before using Dimensional Electricity to shock the inside of the Leviathan. The electricity broke shards of ice and forced them to rip through the leviathan while shocking it from the inside.

The bandits all turned to watch the leviathan thrash around violently before a large explosion of ice and electricity blew it and the cave wall apart. Giant parts of the leviathan took out bandits and huge pieces of the cave. Leesa was thrown from the leviathan's body and hit the ground, scraping her skin as she slid against the rocky floor. She lay on her stomach, exhausted from the overexertion of her powers.

The sand worms disappeared into the ground when the leviathan died and the bodies of the bandits were scattered around the cave.

Maya moved her way through the shield to look around the rock, "Leesa..."

Leesa looked up at Maya and went to speak when they heard a beeping noise. Leesa moved her head and saw that behind one of the buildings the leviathan destroyed was an elevator that had been hidden. She could see the platform of the elevator moving up before disappearing behind the rock.

Maya went to move herself from the shield when she saw Leesa shake her head.

"Stay in the shield. Call Lilith to get you two out of here when it's safe." Leesa quietly spoke out, loud enough for Maya to hear her.

"No, we're not-"

Leesa placed a finger on her lips, asking Maya to keep quiet. Leesa laid her head down and kept her eyes focused on Maya.

Maya stared at the elevator and finally pulled back into the shield, hiding Zero and herself behind the rock. Leesa watched the rock to make sure Maya didn't come around it again. She heard the elevator stop and the footsteps of a man behind her. He walked up to her and leaned down, grabbing onto her hair tightly.

Leesa let out a soft noise as he pulled her face to look at him.

The man was almost as big as Brick and wore a military uniform with a giant metal mask covering his face.

"Did you take out the leviathan by yourself?" The man asked, his deep voice being altered by the mask on his face.

Leesa glared at him, "Yes."

"You're that bastard Jack's wife, aren't you?"

Leesa didn't say anything as the man reached back behind himself and pulled out one of the collar's Jack created for Sirens.

Maya held onto an unconscious Zero with a hand covering her own mouth to keep shut. She listened as Leesa cried out from pain as the collar was placed around her neck. Maya stayed completely still until she heard the man and Leesa leave on the elevator.

After a few moments, Maya took out her ECHO, "You need to get us out of here Lilith. Zero's severely injured and... Leesa's gone."

* * *

**Lynchwood's Secrets Part 2 out of 4 is complete! Yeah!**

**What do you guys think the secrets are?**

**So far there was a leviathan travelling to Lynchwood for no reason, this mysterious man, and Shale... **

**Let me know your theories!**


	26. Lynchwood's Secrets Part Three

**Ehh I really hope this first part of the chapter isn't confusing for you guys. It'll all make sense sooner or later.**

* * *

Leesa woke up to a bright light shining down on her. She moved to her side to see that her arms were bound by a metal band and a chain kept her attached to the ground. She looked up and saw a giant light hanging from the ceiling of a room that had no windows, but one door. The walls, floor, and ceiling were made of cement and there were dried blood stains in random spots.

She groggily sat up and pulled on the chain a bit. Leesa stopped pulling the chain when she noticed a single word in front of her written in blood on the wall:

_Fight._

"H... Hi there."

Leesa spun around quickly, coming face to face with a blond woman chained to the floor just like Leesa.

"My name is... Shale. What's yours?"

"Leesa."

"Oh... Jack's wife."

Shale moved to scoot closer to Leesa when she didn't respond, "Did he hurt you?"

Leesa shook her head, "I don't remember."

"What do you... Remember?"

"Two of my friends were with me... We were fighting..." Leesa trailed off, putting her chained hands to her face.

"You must have been tired... You've been sleeping for a long time." Shale smiled slightly.

"... Why are we here, Shale?" Leesa pulled her hands from her face to look at Shale.

"We're here because he caught us."

"Who?"

"The man who creates..."

"How did he get you, Shale?"

"I've been in this town for years..."

"Lynchwood?" Leesa asked, moving her sore arms.

Shale nodded, "He won't let me leave."

"Who is he?"

"I hope there's someone out there... Looking for you..."

"Yes... There's someone who will do anything to find me. He'll help you too, Shale." Leesa almost smiled at the thought of Mordecai.

"It's too late for me..." Shale looked around the room, "I'm a property of the helm."

"The helm? Shale that doesn't make any sense..."

"I'M NOT CRAZY!" Shale screamed out, causing Leesa to back away slightly.

"I know you're not... I didn't say you were..." Leesa spoke in a soothing voice to keep Shale calm.

Shale reached her hands forward and grabbed a some of Leesa's hair, "Your hair is so pretty..."

Leesa used her hands to grab onto Shale's wrists, "Thank you, Shale... Can you please tell me who that man is?"

Shale shook her head, "I'm not allowed to say..."

Leesa moved on her knees to sit right in front of Shale, "Please... Why can't you just tell me what's going on?"

Shale's shoulder twitched, "He creates... He destroys... Do you like sticks?"

Leesa leaned back in confusion, "What...?"

"Sticks. Smaller branches. Wood is used for the process..." Shale trailed off, her eye and shoulder twitching slightly.

"Shale... Talk to me..."

"YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND THE PROCESS!" Shale shouted out and struck Leesa's face with her bound arms.

Leesa placed her hand on her cheek, lightly touching where Shale hit her.

"DON'T LISTEN TO THE STICKS! FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT FIGHTFIGHTFIGHTFIGHTFIGHT..." Shale shook her head from side to side rapidly, her blond hair flying everywhere.

The door slammed open and the man who brought Leesa to the room walked in.

Leesa moved in front of Shale, "Why are we here?!"

The man ignored her and went to grab Shale's chains. Leesa forced her way between them and slapped the man's hand away, "Answer me!"

He grabbed onto Leesa's chain and jerked her off the ground. He leaned into Leesa's face threateningly, "This doesn't concern you."

The man tossed Leesa to the side and grabbed onto Shale's chains, ripping them from the cement ground. He pulled Shale towards the door as she kept muttering "fight" over and over.

Leesa scurried across the ground, reaching forward to grab Shale's leg but she was pulled back by her chain, "Where are you taking her?!"

The man pulled Shale through the door and before he closed it, Leesa called out:

"Shale! Don't stop fighting!"

Shale turned back to look at Leesa, her muttering stopped. The door slammed shut and all Leesa could picture of Shale was the fear in her green eyes.

oOOOOOOOOOo

Mordecai ran into the meeting room, panting from sprinting from his house to the HQ, "Where is Leesa?"

Maya turned to look at Mordecai, "She came to help us at Lynchwood with a leviathan... She got captured."

"Whoa whoa whoa, what?" Mordecai placed his hand on his forehead, "Why are you here and not there?"

Lilith walked over to Mordecai, "I sent Maya and Zero to Lynchwood to follow a hunch about a Vault there. A few hours in, Maya ECHOed me to send Leesa to them."

"Leesa showed up and killed the leviathan but, Zero got injured and I had to bring him back to Zed." Maya explained the rest as best she could.

Mordecai ran his hand across the top of his head, "You guys just left her there?"

"I had no choice, Mordecai. Zero was knocked out and Leesa told me to leave." Maya explained, "It was so we weren't all captured."

Mordecai sighed, "Lilith, you'll have to take me back to Lynchwood. Axton, I could use your help."

Axton motioned his head in agreement, "You got it."

Lilith nodded, "Was there anything else you guys found? Did you see the Vault?"

Maya shook her head, "There was no Vault. The leviathan was of fire which was really odd and the guy who took Leesa knew she was Jack's wife and..."

"And...?" Axton asked, crossing his arms.

"There was this girl that warned us about the cave. She ran away before I could ask anymore questions." Maya placed her hands on the table in front of her, "It was like she knew the leviathan was there... Maybe Tannis can look her up? Her name is Shale."

"Shale...? Are you sure?"

Everyone looked over to Brick who had a strange expression on his face. He had been standing in the back corner of the room, completely quiet until this moment.

Maya nodded slowly.

Brick walked over to Mordecai, "I'm coming with you."

"Do you know Shale, Brick?" Maya asked.

Brick pulled out his Torgue shotgun, "Shale is the reason I came to Pandora... She's my sister."

oOOOOOOOOOo

The man with the metal mask walked into his room and sat down at a desk with an ECHO recorder on the table. He switched it on and waited for the clock beside him to reach 07:00 exactly.

Once it turned from 06:59 to 07:00, a voice came through the ECHO, "Has Jack's wife been taken care of?"

"Yes. She's in my custody... She won't interfere." The man answered.

"I noticed that two others were with her and the leviathan?" The voice asked.

"One of the Sirens and the assassin were with her. The assassin was injured which leaves him out of the picture. The gunzerker is also away in Ovejas."

"Is he under surveillance?"

"Yes. My men are watching him at all times. I've also noted that the Firehawk will stay behind in Sanctuary with the assassin and the other Siren."

"Who else is in their group?"

"Mordecai the hunter, Brick the berserker, and Axton the commando."

"... Axton won't be a problem..." The voice responded, "Make sure to keep the men busy as I make my way to Sanctuary."

"What about my pay?"

"Once I arrive on Pandora, you will be paid for your assistance, Mr. Vladof plus my boss will keep funding your... Experiments as a bonus for finishing your part in a timely manner."

Vladof grinned, "Is your boss that pleased?"

"My boss is of no concern to you... This is _my_ contract."

* * *

**Dun dun dunnnn**

**Lynchwood is full of crazy secrets!**

**I know this chapter is really short but it was just because there's really no description of anything in here. Like, there's no scenery or a lot of poses or things the people can do. **

**All well. Next chapter will be a lot longer.**


	27. Lynchwood's Secrets Part Four

**So fun fact: The last few days I've been sitting at my computer working on my stories at around 11 PM, there's a fly that kinda chills on the top of a chair behind me. Every time I turn my face to look at the music videos on TV, it's just kinda there, walking back and forth on the chair.**

**Weird, but cool.**

**Kind of concerned that I haven't been getting feedback on these last few chapters. **

**I don't expect a ton of reviews or PMs but I'd like to at least know if you guys like or don't like a chapter. Ah well, hope I still have you all!**

* * *

When the group appeared inside of the cave, Mordecai stormed towards the elevator, "I'm going to kill the motherfucker who took Leesa."

Axton and Brick ran after Mordecai, trying to keep up with his pace.

"Dude, come on. I'm sure she's okay." Axton reasoned, attempting to calm down Mordecai.

Brick grabbed onto Mordecai's shoulder, causing him to stop and turn to face him.

"After we find Leesa, I want to find Shale." Brick requested.

Mordecai nodded, "Yeah, bud. Let's keep an eye out where Leesa is too, just in case."

The three of them walked to the elevator to see that a hand print was needed to open the gate.

"Of course." Axton leaned forward, "Maybe we can open this and rewire..."

Brick pulled Axton back and slammed his fist into the screen causing wires to pop out of it. The gate malfunctioned and rose up, allowing them to get on the elevator.

"That works too..." Axton walked into the elevator with Brick and Mordecai.

Mordecai pulled the lever in the elevator before he brought out his sniper.

"Be on guard." Mordecai advised as he moved his back against the wall of the elevator, keeping him out of sight.

"I won't hide." Brick responded simply, standing right in the middle of the platform.

Once the platform reached the floor and the doors opened, Brick stepped out. He led the way down the hallway and into a large laboratory. The three of them stopped to look around at the empty cages, broken computers, and giant tubes along the walls of blue liquid.

Brick shook his head and kept walking, stepping on papers and glass that was scattered around the floor.

"What do you think all of this stuff is for?" Axton asked, moving over to a table to pick up papers to scan.

Mordecai walked over to one of the giant tubes on the wall, placing his hand on it, "I have no idea... We should just get out of here as fast as we can."

"Where'd Brick go?" Axton asked, looking to the back of the lab where there were three different doors leading in different directions.

"Damn it." Mordecai muttered, walking over to one of the open doorways, "Let's just keep going. He's probably off looking for Shale."

When Axton didn't respond, Mordecai turned around, "What are you doing?"

Axton was staring at a piece of paper in shock.

"What is it?" Mordecai walked over, looking over Axton's shoulder at the paper.

"Oh no..."

Axton shook his head, "... Sarah..."

oOOOOOOOOo

After searching many rooms, Brick forced his way through thick double doors that led to the top of the canyon where the hidden facility was. He looked around, moving towards a giant cage that was towards his right. He stopped when a beeping noise appeared and the ground opened up a ways in front of him.

Mr. Vladof rose from the ground on an elevator. He was holding onto a chain that was attached to Leesa's wrists. She was on her knees beside Mr. Vladof with her arms bent above her head because he was holding her chains high.

"Hello, Slab King."

"Where's Shale?!" Brick shouted.

"This man has her! She's here some-"

Vladof leaned down to Leesa's face and pulled her chain, "Enough! I'm tired of your yapping!"

"Leave her alone!" Brick yelled out, moving his hand back to pull out his gun.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Vladof suggested, "You want Shale? I'll work out a deal."

"I want Shale _and_ Leesa." Brick demanded.

Vladof laughed and shook his head, "I don't think so. I have other plans for this one."

Leesa looked up at Vladof in shock.

"If you ECHO Lilith and tell her to meet you here, I will let you take Shale and go home." Vladof offered.

"What do you want with her?"

"Now why would I tell you something like that? All you need is my word." Vladof smirked under his mask.

"Don't listen to him, Brick!" Leesa cried out, pulling against her chain.

"Quiet!" Vladof jerked Leesa's chain roughly.

Brick moved to run forward with his hands clenched into fists.

"Ah ah ah." Vladof pulled out a pistol and placed it against Leesa's forehead.

Brick stopped moving, glaring, "You wouldn't. You said you need-"

"How in the world are you going to explain to your buddies that you let this woman die because of your anger?" Vladof teased. "I can always change plans... But can you replace the Icebringer?"

Brick remained silent.

"Do we have a deal?"

"You have no idea who you're messing with..."

"Oh but I do... Do you not remember me Brick?" Vladof asked.

"What?"

"You think it's just coincidence that I have your sister?"

"Who the hell are you?!" Brick shouted, "Why do you have my sister?!"

Vladof pulled off his metal mask to reveal a deformed and scarred face. Vladof's eyes were brown with one of them partially closed and his hair was black in the spots it still grew. Chemical burns covered his face making his skin stretched out thin.

Brick stuttered, "R-Ron?"

Vladof laughed, "You can't forget this face, huh?!" He pulled on Leesa's chain to make her walk with him off the elevator platform.

"How did you..."

"How did I survive being pushed into a vat of acid?" Vladof finished, yanking Leesa's chain to make her stop halfway to Brick.

Vladof shook his head, "You were so overprotective of your sister. Enough so that you'd kill any man who wanted to be with her."

"The last woman you were with you got pregnant! You beat her up and almost killed the kid and then you left! Why would I want you around my sister?!" Brick fumed.

Vladof scoffed, "She was and is a grown woman."

"Is that why she's here? Did you kidnap her to be with her?"

Vladof smiled, "No. I don't care about her. There isn't a man alive who has laid their hands on me and survived. Save for two people." He moved his pistol to point at Brick, "You being one of them. I was going to give you a chance... Let you walk away one more time for the sake of getting more money, but now I'm going to have to end this."

"You can't kill me." Brick stated firmly.

"Well, you better make sure you can kill _me_, Brick. Because once you're taken care of..." Vladof put the pistol back against Leesa's head, "I'm killing her. She was strong willed enough to lay her hands on me and that will not be tolerated."

"You're crazy."

"That may be..." Vladof put his pistol away and pulled out a remote. He clicked the button and the cage next to Brick opened up, revealing nothing but darkness.

Vladof backed away, dragging Leesa with him until they got onto the elevator. It then rose up a bit more, keeping the two away from the ground.

Brick looked over to the cage, watching as a hulking figure emerged from inside. The giant inside was a Badass Psycho but both arms were big and it was a woman.

"Say hello to your sister, Brick."

Brick was frozen in place. He almost fell to his knees at the sight of his baby sister mutated to be a Badass Psycho. Her usually bright green eyes were stone cold and blood thirsty.

"S-Shale?" Brick muttered out, breathing heavily.

Shale moved her head to look at Brick before growling and running after him.

Leesa gasped and tried to pull from Vladof, "Brick, move!"

"Enough!" Vladof forced Leesa into the ground on her stomach and placed his boot on her upper back.

Leesa struggled as she watched Shale charge after Brick. Vladof crouched down, applying pressure to Leesa's back.

She grunted as he whispered in her ear, "Do you like my work?"

"You're the one making psychos?" Leesa asked while trying to move her head away from Vladof's face.

Brick crossed his arms before him to brace himself for Shale's tackle.

He was pushed back quite far from the force, "Shale, stop!"

Brick rolled out of the way of Shale's fists as they slammed into the ground where Brick had been. He kept dodging, staying away from Shale's attacks to wear her down.

"Shale!" Brick ducked from a swing and jumped to the side, "Come back!"

"Pointless. She can't hear him." Vladof commented, moving his boot off of Leesa to grab onto her hair and hold her head to watch the fight.

"You're a monster!" Leesa spat out, struggling against Vladof's grip.

"Shale! You have to fight this!"

Leesa's eyes widened as Shale stopped attacking for one second before going after Brick more.

"Do you really want him to keep suffering?" Vladof whispered in Leesa's ear.

Leesa pulled her head to the side, "You're the one causing this."

"You and I both know that Shale can't come back..."

"I won't help you."

"You wouldn't be helping me... You'd be helping your friend."

"You manipulative bastard."

Vladof pulled Leesa off the ground, "I know you were thinking the same thing. You're only fighting it because I said it."

"Brick can bring her back, you just watch!" Leesa defended, taking glances at how Brick was fairing.

Vladof scoffed.

Shale landed a punch on Brick that sent him flying towards Shale's cage.

"Brick!" Leesa screamed.

She closed her eyes tightly, wincing every time she heard Shale make contact with Brick.

Leesa could clearly see that Brick was getting weaker, he was breaking and there was no one around to help him.

"We can't save her Brick!"

Brick looked over to Leesa from where he lay on the ground, "I- I can..."

"No, Brick... She's... Gone." Leesa said in defeat, "There's only one way to help her."

Brick shook his head as he forced his body to stand up, "N-No."

Vladof smiled, pulling out his pistol again, "Looks like he doesn't have long."

Brick watched Shale as she stumbled over to him, the crazed look in her eyes never diminishing.

He thought about their childhood together. Every great memory filled him and everything he kept hidden from his friends was expressed. His sister was the only reason he was here and now he was faced with her. A form of her that wasn't true. Shale's true self was taken from her and allowing her to live like this would be a worse punishment than killing her.

Everything in Brick told him to keep fighting to bring her back, but as he watched his baby sister tower over him... He _knew _that Pandora had taken his sister from him and she would never come back. The reason he came to Pandora wasn't to find her... It was to help end her suffering.

Brick pulled out his rifle, aimed at Shale's head, and shot her. He dropped his rifle as Shale's body hit the ground.

"Brick!" Leesa cried out as Brick fell to his knees before his sister.

Leesa started shaking in anger when Vladof laughed at what lay before him. She turned to him and used her bound hands to hit him in the throat. Vladof stumbled back in shock as Leesa started hitting him.

"YOU SON OF A-"

Vladof got the upper hand and slammed Leesa onto the ground, pushing his pistol against her temple, "That's twice."

Suddenly Brick was on the elevator platform, kicking Vladof in the side to get him off of Leesa. Vladof dropped his pistol as Brick picked him up by the throat and threw him off the platform. Leesa sat up while Brick jumped off, landing on Vladof.

Vladof grunted and pulled his arm back to punch Brick.

Brick leaned back to avoid the punch and used his spiked brass knuckles to punch Vladof over and over in the face. He beat Vladof's face until it was more deformed and he stopped making noises.

Leesa moved off the platform and placed her hands on Brick's shoulder, "He's dead, now."

Brick growled, "I know that."

"I'm sorry..."

Brick shrugged Leesa's hands off, pushing away from her, "Don't."

Leesa watched as Brick walked off towards the door, leaving her with Shale and Vladof's bodies.

She noticed papers had fallen out of Vladof's pocket. Leesa moved over to them and read each paper. They explained key procedures needed for Vladof's experiments. Along with the papers, there was a golden locket on the ground where the papers had been covering it up. Leesa picked up the locket and inspected it.

Engraved on the front was _"Shale"_and when Leesa opened it, there was a picture of Brick and Shale inside as teenagers. Leesa closed it and flipped it over, crying at what the back said:

_Keep on fighting, Shale. You can overcome anything._

_-Brick_

Leesa remembered how there was one moment Shale had stopped attacking Brick.

"It was when he said... 'Fight'." Leesa dropped the locket and held onto her stomach as she felt nauseated.

"Oh... God... We could have saved her..."

* * *

**Sorry it took so long for me to write this chapter. I was procrastinating on it because it dealt with a death I didn't really want to do.**

**When I created Shale and all of that story, I knew I was going to kill her.**

**I hate when I do that but it happens. I usually take forever with chapters that deal with those kinds of situations.**


	28. Attempted Rescue

**I'm so glad you guys liked Lynchwood's Secrets! Ah! (= I just got some fantastic feedback and I'm so glad you guys didn't leave!**

**OMG I'm writing some later chapters so I don't forget what I want specifically on them and I got so emotional. Ah, I hate myself sometimes.**

**Anyways:**

**On with the show!**

* * *

By the time Mordecai reached the top of the canyon, Brick was far away and Leesa was on the ground beside Shale's body.

"Leesa!" Mordecai called out as he ran to her.

Leesa looked up and smiled weakly as Mordecai crouched down before her and grabbed onto her face.

"What happened? Are you okay?"

Leesa nodded, "I'm... Fine. Brick... Left..." Tears started welling up in her eyes.

Mordecai looked Leesa over and moved his hands to grab onto her bound wrists. She was covered in dirt and her wrists and hands were cut and bleeding slightly.

"Leesa... What happened?"

Leesa motioned towards Vladof, "This guy... Was making psychos and he... Made Brick's sister one. Brick had to... Kill her."

Mordecai looked over at the two bodies, "Where'd Brick go?"

"I don't know. After saving me, he left."

"Did this man do anything to you?" Mordecai asked, touching Leesa's cheek.

Leesa shook her head, "He wanted to kill me though." She moved herself from Mordecai, "I have to finish this."

Mordecai watched as Leesa started using her bound hands to dig into the small hole she had made before her. She used her fingers to dig at the dirt to loosen it and then cupped her hands together as a shovel to get the dirt from the hole.

He grabbed Leesa's arms, "Stop. You're messing up your hands."

"I have to finish this, Mordecai..."

"Please, Leesa. Let's just get you cleaned up and leave."

"You don't understand!" Lessa burst out into tears, "I have to finish this."

"What is... This?"

"... I need to bury Shale."

Mordecai grabbed Leesa's face and brushed her tears away, "Let's get you cleaned up and unchained."

Leesa nodded in defeat as Mordecai grabbed the collar around her neck and pulled it off. Leesa breathed out harshly as she placed her hands on her forehead, pain hitting her body from her powers being dormant for so long.

"Can we come back? I... Can't leave her like this." Leesa looked up at Mordecai's face, "Brick saved me and his sister... Is gone. He gave her up to save me. I couldn't..." She trailed off, sniffling lightly.

Mordecai pulled Leesa up with him and kissed her, "We'll bury Shale... I promise."

Leesa smiled and nodded, "Do you think... We can bury her somewhere else? Somewhere safe?"

"Yes. Axton should be back any minute. The three of us should be able to move her."

"Where is Axton?" Leesa asked, concern growing on her face.

"He's inside, looking through files." Mordecai answered simply. "Hey..." He grabbed Leesa's face again, "Don't worry about Axton. He's okay."

"I'm scared."

"You're safe. Nothing's going to ha-"

"I'm not just scared for myself. I'm scared for everyone!" Leesa nearly shouted, "I keep hearing him..."

"Who?" Mordecai asked, grabbing onto Leesa's arms gently.

"He keeps telling me these stories... These memories. He shows me things I don't want to know. He doesn't want me to bury Shale... He won't leave me alone Mordecai..." Leesa rambled, her voice cracking.

"Leesa, who? Please tell me who." Mordecai almost begged, moving Leesa's face by her chin to look at him straight on. He was taken aback by the pure fear in her eyes.

"The Eridian."

"What has he been telling you?" Mordecai asked.

"He told me that destiny has plans for us... That... Certain events are going to put us against each other and..." Leesa took a deep breath, "He says we're all going to die."

"You can't believe that Leesa... He's just trying to get to you."

"It's working. I mean, what are the chances that Maya and Zero go after a leviathan that brings us here with Brick's missing sister? And if Axton is going through files there must be something he's looking for and Salvador is in his hometown without any way of communicating with us which means he could be vulnerable to anything. And on top of everything else, Zero is injured. What are the chances all of these things happen _right_ now?"

Mordecai shook his head, "Don't let that Eridian get to you."

"I _can't_ fight it anymore. I think about this Eridian more than I think about you." Leesa looked completely desperate, "I want all of this to stop."

Mordecai sighed, "Let's just... Take this one and a time. We'll take care of your cuts, find Axton, bury Shale, and then we'll go from there."

Leesa bit her lip and nodded, "Thank you... I'm sorry I got a little... Weird there."

Mordecai smiled and pulled Leesa close to him in a hug, "I already told you, I'm not letting that Eridian get you." He moved away from Leesa and wrapped his arm around her, walking with her towards the door of the facility.

oOOOOOOOOOOo

Maya sat next to Zero, holding onto his hand tightly.

"Alright..." Dr. Zed backed up from Zero, rubbing his hands together. "That's all I can do for now."

"He'll be okay?" Maya asked.

Zed nodded, "Yeah, he'll have a lot of scarring but other than that, he's fine. It's a good thing the acid in sand worms isn't that strong in single doses."

Maya smiled, "Thanks Doc."

"Not a problem. Let me know if anything happens."

"Yeah..."

Zed grabbed his bag of tools and left Maya's room.

Maya sighed as she stared at Zero's bandaged chest, "I'm sorry I couldn't use phase shield sooner, Zero."

Zero shook his head, "You had nothing to do with this. I got distracted."

"I should have had your back..."

Zero took his hand from Maya's and pulled off his helmet.

He smiled which caused Maya's heart to flutter, "You saved me didn't you?"

"Leesa told me to-"

"Leesa told you she doesn't have your power. _You_ created the shield."

Maya smiled, "I don't know what came over me... I was so pissed off but it wasn't turned into rage. It turned into a protective instinct."

"'The Matriarch' suits you and that power... I'm sure if bandits heard that name, they'd be terrified." Zero joked with a big grin on his face.

Maya laughed, "How many drugs did Zed pump into you?"

"Enough."

Zero motioned for Maya to get into bed next to him. Maya obliged and crawled onto the bed and laid next to Zero's side. He wrapped his arm around her and kissed her forehead, "Don't stress about Leesa."

Maya looked up at Zero, "How do you always know what I'm thinking?"

"Because you care. I'm sure Mordecai's already killed the guy who took her."

"But what about Shale?"

"I have no doubt, Brick will bring her back."

Maya nodded, "It'll be nice to meet her officially."

"Mmhm."

Within a couple of minutes, Zero drifted into sleep. Maya never left his side, enjoying his embrace as she thought about her life on Pandora.

After a few hours of Maya laying beside Zero, Hammerlock's voice came through the ECHO on the night stand.

"Please, I require... Assistance." Hammerlock grunted out.

Maya grabbed the ECHO, "It's Maya. Hammerlock are you okay?"

"In all honesty, no. I... I was hunting out by Liar's Berg. I'm incredibly... Sorry but I do require evacuation."

"No no. Don't be sorry. I'll grab Lilith and come get you!" Maya took the ECHO and ran out of her room towards the front door.

"There's... Little time at hand... You need to arrive..." Hammerlock's voice trailed off.

Maya went to her kitchen and grabbed her first aid before running to the fast travel station.

"I'm coming right now, Hammerlock! Just hang on!" Maya yelled into the ECHO as she chose Liar's Berg at the fast travel.

"I... Appreciate it... I'm about one kilometer... From Liar's Berg on a unknown ridge..."

As soon as Maya reached Liar's Berg, she took off after footsteps that were still visible in the snow. The footsteps led Maya up a rocky hill that reached a giant ridge that looked out over Liar's Berg. Maya ran as fast as she could through the deep snow, following the footsteps until the heavy snowfall made them fade.

"No, no!" Maya stopped and spun around, looking for the footsteps that disappeared.

"Hammerlock! Where are you?!" Maya screamed out.

After a short moment, Maya heard Hammerlock over her ECHO, "I can... Hear you..."

Maya ran forward where the footsteps had led her, tripping onto her knees a few times. The adrenaline of finding Hammerlock overrode the intense cold Maya's body was attempting to fend off.

Maya squinted her eyes and held her arm to her forehead, peering through the snowfall for a sign of Hammerlock. Maya stumbled out of exhaustion and landed in the deep snow. She groaned and pushed herself up, looking to the right to see a half buried figure in the snow.

"Hammerlock..." Maya whispered as she ran to the figure, "Hammerlock!"

Maya crouched down next to his body and brushed some of the snow off of him.

Suddenly Maya was thrown down into the ground, "Hammerlock, what are you..."

The body above Maya wasn't Hammerlock, but an armored clad woman. Her outfit was black with a helmet similar to Zero's but it had giant cracks in the screen and spikes around the top ridges. She leaned on Maya, keeping her down with a blade to her throat.

Maya shivered from the snow on her back. She was frozen in fear at her reflection against the sleek helmet and the snow falling around them.

"You fell for the oldest trick in the book." Halfway through the sentence, Hammerlock's voice turned into the woman's true voice.

"W-Where's H-Hammerlock?" Maya stuttered out.

"He was never here... You're the only one I want."

* * *

**I want to apologize once more to the people who think this story is rushed and those who have said it's too slow.**

**It's been brought to my attention many times and I want to find a middle ground which is difficult with how the story is planned and such.**

**I will do my best to pace it better but still keep it as fast as I want it to be.**

**Trust me, I want to explain to you all about why so much stuff happens at the same time. **

**Like the contract, Shale, etc. All these things happen at the same time to have an overall effect. **

**I hinted at it with Leesa and Mordecai in this chapter. It's not a spoiler until I explain more which I cannot.**

**Once I get to the synopsis part of the story at the very end, I will explain why things were rushed or happened around the same time to avoid anymore confusion.**

**Leading up to the Eridian, everything is fast paced and very action-packed, emotional, etc. **

**I hate making excuses but this is the reason for all of this. I wanted to not have to explain all of this just in case it hints too much at anything but I can't just sit around and have you guys confused or wanting to stop reading.**

**In other news:**

**I do have a sequel planned for this story and if you guys can just stick around for THIS story's ending, you will not be disappointed, I promise you. You don't have to read the sequel but I'm hoping you guys read the entirety of this story.**


	29. A Pawn

**I'm getting my Bamboo tablet either today or tomorrow! As soon as I do, I will be able to get more pictures done! I'm very excited!**

* * *

"You have every reason to be scared."

Maya moved her head back into the snow, trying to pull away from the blade against her throat, "You're the one who had to lure me out here."

"That may be true, but I'm sure you wouldn't want me to kill you in front of Zero..." Seven pushed the blade closer to Maya's skin.

At the mention of Zero's name, adrenaline rushed throughout Maya's body. She kneed Seven in her side and rolled out from underneath Seven, barely dodging the dagger.

Seven moved into a crouched position and threw her dagger at Maya's heart. A small shield appeared and caught the blade right before it hit Maya. She looked at the blade and was caught off guard when Seven tackled her.

Seven punched Maya twice in the face before she was thrown back by Maya's slag orb. Maya hurriedly crawled across the snow and spun around, pulling out her electric infinity pistol.

She aimed at Seven and took a shot. Seven vanished and appeared to the side, avoiding each shot Maya fired in the same fashion. As she got closer, Maya backed up until she was up against the edge of the ridge above Liar's Berg. Maya looked behind her and then back at Seven who appeared to be teleporting in a zigzag pattern to avoid bullets from Maya's pistol.

Maya pulled out her fire grenade and slammed it on the ground in front of her. She quickly jumped back off the ridge as the grenade split into ten child grenades and went off, exploding around Seven.

Maya hit her back on the roof of a home and rolled off it and onto the softer ground.

"Urgh." Maya groaned as she got up and rubbed her back. She looked up at the ridge as water and snow fell from the ridge because of the grenades. Maya sighed and turned around to come face to face with the barrel of a pistol.

"Cute trick, really." Seven's shoulder had a small fire burning the fabric beside her armor. She reached over with her free hand and patted the fire to get rid of it.

Maya glared at Seven, "Why are you really here?"

"Excuse me?"

"You could have just sniped my head off or stabbed me from behind... But you allowed a fight. Are you waiting for Zero to find me?" Maya stated.

Seven stepped forward slightly, pressing her pistol against Maya's forehead, "I don't have a vendetta."

Maya flicked her fingers at her side, using phase lock to trap Seven.

While Seven was stuck inside of the orb, Maya ran over to a house and slid in behind it, taking cover from Seven.

Maya went to pull out her ECHO when she realized that if she called for help, Seven could very well hurt everyone else. She looked up and took a few deep breaths before turning the corner to watch Seven.

Seven had vanished which caused Maya's heart to pound. She was grabbed from behind and slammed into the wall, facing Seven. The dagger was back against Maya's throat.

"You really think you can fight me?" Seven leaned in threateningly.

Maya stood her ground, "I had to try..."

"Honorable. But foolish." Seven pushed the blade closer, nicking Maya's skin lightly.

Maya pressed her back against the wall, closing her eyes to brace herself.

"Huhgg."

Maya opened her eyes to see a blue sword pierced through Seven's gut. Maya was able to slide away from Seven as she slumped against the wall and the sword was pulled from her.

Maya smiled and almost teared up when she saw Zero standing behind Seven. He wore his armor and suit again and stood perfectly straight, not allowing his wounds to hinder him.

Seven fell down to the ground, breathing out harshly and placing her hand on her wound.

Zero held his sword towards Seven and walked to her, "Which one are you?"

"S-seven..." She choked out.

"Don't lie to me."

"... Twelve." She took her last breath and died.

Zero sheathed his sword, looking over towards Maya. She moved towards Zero, entering his embrace. He hugged her tightly and rubbed the back of Maya's neck, "Are you okay?"

"Yes... How'd you know she wasn't Seven?" Maya asked, looking up at Zero as he pulled away slightly.

"Seven's too smart to let herself be shown first. She won't mess around with a Siren without sending in a pawn." Zero explained.

"Was she... Watching?"

"I don't know... But we need to regroup. Seven will strike at any moment."

oOOOOOOOOOOOo

Back in Sanctuary, Lilith sat at the table in the HQ's meeting room. She held a picture of Roland in her hands, caressing his face. She sighed and placed the photo down, putting her head in her hands.

"I wish I could have saved you..."

Lilith took a deep breath and played back one of Tannis' ECHO recorders that rested beside Roland's picture.

"_After running multiple tests on Leesa to bring about emotional instability, I calculated that her meditation has worked. She explained to me that encasing herself in ice for three months has improved her ability to differentiate herself from Icebringer. Normally, when exposed to emotional imbalances, Icebringer takes over Leesa and she becomes another person, entirely. Leesa will not inform me about what was going through her mind during the time after her ex-husband's death, but due to the positive reactions, Icebringer will not be a future problem anymore and that is all I need to know."_

Lilith shut off the recorder and noted on a piece of paper, "Find a way to get Leesa to use Phase Past. Need to see first Icebringer for answers. Make list of planets with Vaults on them to search later for clues." Also on this piece of paper were notes about Siren powers and everything else Leesa had explained.

Lilith tapped her pencil against the table before writing down another note, "Why can't Leesa use Phase Walk now that her memories are back?"

Suddenly, something cold was pressed against the back of Lilith's head.

"Put your pencil down." A woman's voice ordered from behind Lilith.

Lilith slowly placed her pencil down, "What do you want?"

"You're going to help me with my job and then I'll leave."

"You don't need to hold me at gun point..." Lilith attempted to reason.

"Oh, but I do, otherwise you won't listen to me."

"... What do you need me to do?" Lilith reluctantly asked.

Seven smiled, "I need you to bring Maya to me."

* * *

**Uh oh. Seven doesn't give up!**

**I just noticed that sometimes I will capitalize Siren powers and sometimes I won't. Ah well. My bad.**


	30. Tricks

**For some reason I had no motivation to write this chapter. Even though it's really cool, I just want to get to the end. Meh.**

**Thank you guys for your supremely nice reviews! You guys are the best (=**

* * *

"What do you want with Maya?" Lilith asked, slowly raising her hands up.

"That doesn't concern you."

"I'm pretty sure it does considering you have a gun to my head."

"Is every one on this planet so sarcastic..." Seven muttered under her breath.

Seven grabbed Lilith by the back of her shirt and pulled her off the chair, "Go find Maya and bring her to Lynchwood... Alone."

"Why should I listen to you once I leave this room?"

"I have eyes on your little friends. Salvador would be an easy target since he's so alone..."

Lilith breathed out harshly, "Fine."

Seven pushed Lilith towards the door, "You have one hour to bring Maya to me. In five minutes, she will arrive back here from Liar's Berg."

Lilith turned around to look at Seven to discover she had vanished.

"And remember..."

Lilith spun around towards the door to see Seven in the doorway, "If you tell Maya that you're taking her to me, I will know and I will kill Salvador."

Seven teleported behind Lilith and jumped off the balcony.

Lilith breathed out and looked at the table, allowing her emotions to take over, "I need you, Roland...I don't know what to do..."

**40 Minutes Later**

Seven sat on the roof of the train station in Lynchwood. She leaned forward with her arm resting on her bent knees. She scanned the area, keeping an eye out for bandits. Seven felt the rumbling of an arriving train and smirked under her mask, "A little early huh?"

Seven teleported in front of the train station, remaining invisible as she saw Maya and Lilith appear from the entrance.

"I need you to show me where the leviathan was."

Maya nodded, "Is this really a big enough emergency? I mean, you know what happened out in..."

"Hello, Maya." Seven appeared before the two Sirens.

Maya stopped suddenly, "What the-"

"Be a good girl and hold your arms out."

"Come on, Lil! We can take her!" Maya looked over at Lilith with determination in her eyes.

Lilith looked down.

"Lilith...?"

"Your friend here is giving you to me." Seven crossed her arms, "Now show me your hands."

"Why, Lilith..." Maya stared at Lilith, betrayal written across her face.

"I said show me your hands." Seven nearly growled out which caused Maya to face her.

Seven pulled out an ECHO, "You have a lock on the target?"

A man's voice came on over the ECHO, "Yes."

"Now, Maya. I have several guns aimed at your friend, Salvador's, head right now. If you don't come with me, I will kill him." Seven threatened, shaking her ECHO in a taunting manner.

Maya looked over at Lilith, "... Fine. Just don't hurt him or anyone else."

Seven nodded, "Do I have to repeat myself?"

Maya stepped forward, holding her arms out for Seven to bind with metal bands.

"Say goodbye now, Maya." Seven pulled Maya forward by her wrists.

"... I'm sorry, Maya..." Lilith whispered as Seven teleported with Maya.

oOOOOOOOo

Seven and Maya reappeared out in the middle of nowhere out past Lynchwood. The two were surrounded by cacti, dirt, sand, and hot air. Seven pushed Maya's shoulder down to force her on her knees.

Seven walked over to a large cactus beside Maya and pulled out a shovel and a ball and chains from behind it. She threw the shovel towards Maya, landing it right in front of her. Seven walked back to Maya, cuffing her ankle with the ball and chain while taking off the metal bands around Maya's wrists.

"Start digging."

Maya looked up at Seven, glaring, "No."

Seven pulled out her ECHO, "Ah ah ah."

Maya closed her eyes, sighing deeply before shakily grabbing the shovel. She pushed the shovel into the ground and pulled back, tossing dirt to the side.

"So here's the deal," Seven moved to the left side of Maya and sat down on the ground, watching Maya dig, "You can attempt to use your powers on me or even kill me. Although, you'd just be screwing yourself. You'd die out here tied to this ball and chain with no water, no food, and no shelter. If I live, I kill and bury you. Either way you're going to die. This way, at least, you have less of a chance of me killing your friends _and_ your body won't be picked away at by skags."

Maya didn't say anything, but wiped the sweat from her brow.

"How does it feel knowing your friend gave you to me?" Seven asked.

"Excuse me for not wanting to talk to the person about to kill me." Maya snapped.

"Oh it hurts. I can tell."

Maya shook her head, continuing to dig until her muscles ached and her stomach turned from the intensifying heat.

After many hours, Maya finally spoke up again, "I'm not just a normal contract, am I?"

Seven stood up, "What do you mean by that?"

Maya sighed, "Never mind."

Seven moved to stand in front of the giant hole Maya was digging, "Tell me or else."

Maya looked up at Seven, "I don't know much, but I'm sure assassins' don't have their contracts dig their own graves. Plus, you're a chatterbox."

Seven stared at Maya for a long time before speaking, "I knew the man you killed."

Maya rose an eyebrow, "I've killed a lot of men since coming here."

"Brother Sophis."

Maya scoffed, "If you knew him then you must know what he made me do to people." Maya stopped digging and leaned against her shovel.

"He was a monk! There was no proof of any crime you say he committed."

"You make it sound like it's so hard to believe. I mean, you're an assassin for fuck's sake!" Maya argued.

Seven clenched her fists in anger, "He was my uncle you bitch."

Maya smirked, "It must run in the family then."

Seven growled and slid into the grave Maya had recently finished, "You have no idea who you're messing with!" She pulled out her gun and forced it against Maya's forehead.

Maya breathed out and smiled, "Actually... _You _ have no idea who you're messing with."

Seven backed up slightly as Maya's blue hair faded into purple and grew longer.

"You really thought we were going to give Maya up?"

Leesa placed her hands on her hips, "You're not the only one with a few tricks up your sleeves."

Seven kept her gun pointed at Leesa, "How did you escape?"

"Vladof's dead, Seven."

"Oh, what, did you kill him?"

Leesa shrugged, "Who knows? You sure as hell don't."

"I've read about you." Seven laughed lightly, "I'm surprised you, of all people, lasted on a planet like this for so long."

"You can hide behind your taunts all you want to, Seven, but I know you're the one who's scared."

A spark of purple electricity pulsed around the chain connected to Leesa's ankle, causing it to break apart.

"Now, here's the deal," Leesa mocked Seven, "You're going to come with me peacefully or I'm going to have to take you in by force."

"Tch. You're pretty damn ballsy."

In a split second, Leesa flew at Seven and forced her hand through Seven's mask, breaking it apart to reach her face.

Once Leesa's hand made contact with Seven's face, she whispered, "Phase terror."

Seven collapsed onto the ground, locked inside of her nightmares. Leesa sighed and grabbed Seven's ECHO to change it to her friends' frequencies.

"Can someone come get me? Seven has some really interesting information to tell us."

* * *

**Did any of you actually think Lilith would give Maya to Seven?**

**Lilith's a pretty great actress, am I right?**

**Please, thoughts are welcome!**


	31. Seven's Start

**This entire chapter is about Seven and her identity. Some of her stuff is left out due to lack of importance and the fact that they will be explained later.**

* * *

"Kirsten!"

"Ugh..."

"Kirsten wake up!"

Brother Sophis shook Kirsten's shoulder until she finally sat up in bed. Her long brunette hair was a complete mess and her blue eyes adjusted to the bright light in her bedroom.

Brother Sophis had light grey hair that was pulled back into a long pony tail. He wore his Order of the Impending Storm cloak that was dark blue with gold trimmings on the sleeves and bottom.

"What is it?" Kirsten groaned out while jumping out of bed. She only wore a black tank top and gray shorts.

"Remember the man I sent you after two months ago?" Brother Sophis asked.

Kirsten walked over to a wooden desk that rested beside her giant bay windows. She opened a drawer and grabbed a few items from inside.

"You send me after a lot of people, uncle." Kirsten pulled up black pants over her shorts and placed gloves on her hands.

"Layrn Trell."

"Ah. He was a fighter." Kirsten smiled at the memory.

"This isn't a time for jokes, Kirsten. You have to leave Athenas." Brother Sophis advised.

Kirsten pulled out her weapons and started attaching them to her hips and ankles under her pants, "Now why in the world would I do that?"

"Layrn wasn't who we thought he was."

"Tch I don't care-"

"He was one of Vahnn's assassins!" Brother Sophis almost screamed out, "Vahnn is outraged and threatened to kill you."

"Hmph, you know he only has one good assassin and he'd never send..."

"He is sending Zero."

Kirsten faltered a moment when attaching her pistol to her hip, "He's... Not serious..."

"He _only_ mentions Zero if he's serious." Brother Sophis walked up to Kirsten and grabbed her shoulders, "Please, Kirsten. You must leave. We lost your mother... My sister... I can't lose you too. I need to know you'll be safe."

"How am I supposed to avoid Zero?!" Kirsten yelled out, "All I can do is try to kill him!"

"You can't kill him."

"You said I was special, uncle!"

"You _are_ but you weren't born to be an assassin. I gave you that role." Brother Sophis stepped back, reaching into his pocket to grab a parcel.

Kirsten walked over to her window and quickly closed her blue drapes and turned on the light by her bed.

"In this parcel is everything you'll need to avoid Zero. I'll contact Vahnn to see if I can arrange a compromise." Brother Sophis explained, handing the parcel to Kirsten.

She accepted the parcel, "How much time do I have?"

"Not much. Take care of everything, follow the instructions I placed in the parcel, and leave. Go far away from here." Brother Sophis' voice started cracking, "I can never see you again. You can never come back here."

"This is all I have..."

"I know." Brother Sophis forced a smile, "I know..."

Kirsten placed the parcel on her bed and quickly hugged Brother Sophis, "I'll miss you."

Brother Sophis hugged her back, "I'll miss you too... Krissy."

He let go of Kirsten and walked out of her room, closing the door behind him.

Kirsten sat on her bed and opened the parcel, shifting through the items until she found the paper with instructions.

"_Cut your hair short and dye it red. _

_Place these green contacts in your eyes._

_Put on these clothes and leave all of your weapons behind save your dagger. Hide it well._

_Head out to the shipping station and choose a destination of your choice. Now is the time to figure out what you want to do with your life._

_Use the name on your new ID and PassCode. You'll need to be convincing if someone asks for your name and details. _

_Appear like a normal person but lie like a con man. Don't get caught in a lie._

_Remember your training and don't let your guard down. Do your best to not be alone._"

Kirsten picked up the bottle of hair dye and sighed before walking into the bathroom to change her appearance.

oOOOOOOOOo

Kirsten had left Athenas and was sitting in her seat on a shuttle. Her new look consisted of short spiky red hair, green eyes, and a simple brown dress with small black flats.

She was headed for a station orbiting around Demophon that houses travelers. She looked down at her hands, contemplating where to go to next after reaching the Dem Station.

Everyone in the room with her were stuck in their own worlds. Some were listening to music, reading, sleeping, and chatting with each other. Kirsten felt so alone in a giant crowd of strangers.

"Seems like you have a lot on your mind."

Kirsten looked over to her right to a man sitting next to her with an old fashioned newspaper in his hands. It was held open and covering the man's face as he read the articles.

"A bit." Kirsten responded.

"First time travelling?"

"Yeah, my nerves are on edge." Kirsten smiled, "But I've always wanted to travel."

"I'm quite jealous. I only travel for work." The man chuckled.

Kirsten laughed lightly, "I'm sure you'll get the chance to travel for leisure soon."

"I agree."

Kirsten glanced at the newspaper, "I see you like the classics."

"Nothing beats actually feeling paper against your skin."

Kirsten took note of how the man had gloves on and only... Four fingers.

Her heart started pounding as she went to stand up.

"Stay."

Kirsten sat back down, sitting uncomfortably next to Zero.

"How'd you find me here?" Kirsten asked.

"Tell me why you killed Seven." Zero ignored her question.

"I..."

"It's because you were told to, am I correct?"

Kirsten pondered for a moment, "Yes. I don't know why I was asked."

"My boss didn't send me out here to kill you."

Kirsten looked over at Zero in shock.

"I have been sent here to recruit you."

"W-what?"

"You took down an assassin that was one of our highest ranks. You managed to kill him without so much as gaining a scratch... An unprofessional woman."

"No need to insult me."

"You won't be insulted if you get proper training."

Kirsten thought for a while before responding, "What will you do to me if I decline?"

"Nothing."

"Nothing?"

"You can go about your life." Zero flipped a page.

"Why would you-"

"Enough questions. We don't care if you join us or not. The only thing that matters is if you will be able to live in a normal society without killing someone for no reason."

Kirsten closed her eyes while taking a deep breath, "I want a normal life now."

After Kirsten had answered, Zero vanished completely. He dropped the newspaper on the seat beside her as he left. Kirsten looked around, seeing if anyone had noticed and fortunately, no one had.

oOOOOOOOOOo

Kirsten stepped off the shuttle, smiling at the bustle of travelers moving around. She walked forward and maneuvered her ways through the halls, passing by booths that were throwing BriLight brochures at the travelers. Kirsten caught one and watched the clear paper play videos of the planet that BriLight brochure was advertising. It showed main attractions, shops, activities, and more in hopes of gaining revenue from tourists.

She decided to grab as many different brochures as she could to decide which planet to go to. As she walked, she stopped on occasion to speak with other travelers to gain advice on which shuttle companies to trust, which planets to see, and which planets to stay away from.

Kirsten was quite surprised at how many friendly people were on Dem station. She passed a coffee shop and decided to stop for a while due to aching feet.

She walked up to the counter and clicked on one of the many screens that was attached to the counter. She ordered an Atlas mocha and waited for her drink to arrive. A door opened in the counter beside the computer, allowing a small platform to rise up with her drink on it. She grabbed the drink and went to pay when someone else reached over and used their card to pay for Kirsten's drink.

She looked over and saw a man with short brown hair and sweet brown eyes.

"T-thank you." Kirsten blushed slightly and brushed some of her hair behind her ear.

He smiled at her, "You're welcome." He grabbed his drink and walked out of the coffee shop.

Kirsten walked over to an empty table and looked through each brochure while sipping on her drink. After a while, her fingers started tapping on her coffee cup and her body grew restless. Everyone around her was moving constantly and the voices overlapped each other in conversations.

As she sat in the peace and tranquility of the company of strangers, Kirsten could feel her adrenaline crying out for adventure.

She began having a craving for... Death. Kirsten listened into people's conversations, hoping they would begin to argue and fight. She thought about stabbing the guy standing the closest to her and what escape routes she could take...

Kirsten forced herself out of her chair and moved into a private bathroom to splash her face with water. She looked up into the mirror and thought about what Zero had said:

_"The only thing that matters is if you will be able to live in a normal society without killing someone for no reason."_

Kirsten shook her head and calmed herself down with breathing techniques her uncle taught her. After a while of staring into her reflection, she dried her face off and walked out of the bathroom and past the coffee shop.

She wandered down the halls, looking at every booth until she saw the man who paid for her coffee earlier. He was leaning against a wall, enjoying his coffee. Kirsten was able to get a good look at him and noted that he was muscular and wore baggy brown pants, boots, and a gray shirt. A duffel bag was slumped up against his right leg.

Kirsten took a deep breath and walked up to him, "A bit overwhelming, isn't it?"

The man looked over to Kirsten and smiled, "Definitely. I'm not one for giant crowds."

Kirsten nodded, "Me either."

"Have you found where you want to go?" The man asked Kirsten, taking a drink from his cup.

"Uhm..." Kirsten glanced around and scanned each booth quickly until she noticed a booth for the DAHL militia. In that split second of seeing that booth, Kirsten knew exactly where she wanted to go.

"I'm thinking about signing up for the DAHL militia." Kirsten answered, "I need a little adventure."

"Really? I was actually thinking of doing the same thing!" The man exclaimed.

Kirsten smiled, "Is it for adventure or to show your macho manliness?"

"I don't really have much drive for anything else. Normal life is too... Boring." The man answered.

Kirsten nodded, "I couldn't agree more."

"Will you sign up with me?"

Kirsten pondered it, "Why not?"

The man held out his hand and smiled widely, "I'm Axton."

Kirsten grabbed onto Axton's hand to shake it. She thought of the new name her uncle had assigned to her, "I'm Sarah."

* * *

**Pardon me if I got Axton's eyes wrong. They look brown sometimes and green other times. **

**Did anyone see this coming?**


	32. Confronting Seven

**In response to Tom Nook's review: **

**In Chapter 11: Insight for Leesa, I explain Phase Mirror. Leesa has the ability to mirror anyone's image perfectly. She cannot mimic their voices though, but Seven had never heard Maya's voice before so it didn't matter.**

**Also for those confused about how Leesa and Lilith were able to go around planning this without Seven knowing it will be explained, I promise!**

**One more thing:**

**After Shale was killed, everything was happening over the course of a few hours. It was roughly three hours after Leesa, Mordecai, and Axton buried Shale that Maya went to find Hammerlock. There was plenty of time for Leesa to calm down and work with Lilith to trick Seven.**

* * *

Seven woke up on a table in an unfamiliar room. She went to raise her hand to her throbbing head, but her hand was pulled back. She looked over and noticed that she was chained to the table. Seven groaned and sat up, using her other hand to rub her temple.

"Good to see you awake."

Seven looked over to see Lilith sitting in a chair off to the side, holding the mask Leesa had ripped through.

Over the years of battle, Seven had obtained a few scars on her face and the red hair she kept dying had grown out to be long and curly. She had abandoned her green eye contacts for her natural blue eyes.

Lilith stared at Seven, watching her look around the room before scoffing.

"Sending your guard skag in disguise was quite impressive." Seven commented.

"I'm surprised you couldn't tell that man on your ECHO wasn't one of yours." Lilith responded, picking loose pieces of metal off Seven's mask.

Seven watched Lilith in confusion.

"Zero came up with the plan to send Leesa to you while a few of us went to protect Salvador. They easily took out your men." Lilith explained, setting Seven's mask to the side.

Seven looked down in contemplation before lifting her head up again, "The man on the ECHO was one of you?"

Lilith nodded, "Turns out you didn't have anyone watching us... Since after we planned, Salvador was still alive. So we rolled with it."

"You were going to let your friend die based on the off chance I didn't have anyone watching you?" Seven asked, pulling on her chain slightly.

"Zero knew you were lying."

"I guess that's why he's still the best even after he took his chip out." Seven sighed.

Lilith watched Seven brush back her hair.

"What are you staring at?"

"It's just hard to believe there was a human being underneath the mask and not some cyborg."

"Hmph." Seven stretched her legs out on the table, "What now? Are you going to kill me?"

Lilith shook her head, "We all just want to talk."

As if on cue, Leesa walked into the room with Zero following her.

"Ah, there's the little bitch who tricked me."

Leesa rolled her eyes, "Takes one to know one."

"You don't know anything about me."

"But I do..." Zero crossed his arms, "... Kirsten."

Maya, Salvador, and Mordecai walked in next.

"You said you were Brother Sophis' niece?" Maya asked while walking up to Seven.

Seven didn't answer, but glared at Maya.

"Brother Sophis taught her the basics of being an assassin and had her kill anyone he didn't agree with... Much like how he used you to extort people of their money." Zero explained, looking over to Maya. "She left Athenas 2 months after killing the original Seven in fear of my boss sending me to kill her. We tried recruiting her but she declined. About 7 years later, she requested to join and my boss accepted."

"So you did know about the crimes your uncle committed... You were the one committing them!" Maya exclaimed.

"That doesn't excuse you killing a family member of mine." Seven hissed out.

"What are we to do with her?" Salvador asked, looking around the room at everyone.

"Axton wants to keep her alive." Mordecai spoke out.

"Why?" Maya asked.

"Because she's my ex wife."

Everyone turned around to look at Axton while he leaned against the doorway.

"So Kirsten is your real name, Sarah?" Axton asked.

Seven nodded, "You look good Axton."

Axton shook his head, "Don't pretend anymore..."

Lilith glanced around the room before standing up, "Let's give them some time alone..."

Everyone complied and walked past Axton to leave the room. The door was closed behind them, leaving Axton and Seven completely alone.

Axton stared at Seven, trying to keep his emotions in line.

Seven sighed, "Is there something you want to say?"

"Why did you lie to me?"

Seven lowered her eyes, "I originally changed my name in fear of Zero coming after me... But then I wanted a new life..."

"Yet here you are, an assassin once more."

"Don't chide me, Axton!" Seven jumped off the table and pulled forward, being held back only by the chain. "You were so used to killing that you couldn't move on!"

Axton closed his eyes.

"You became a bounty hunter after you went AWOL and now you're a vault hunter! You can't change a killer!" Seven screamed out in anger, "Don't you criticize me for being what I am!"

"If you didn't want to be in the militia then why didn't you come with me?!" Axton yelled.

"I don't need baggage. You leaving was the perfect excuse to divorce you."

Axton felt as though Seven had stabbed his heart.

"Sarah..."

"It's Seven." Seven breathed out harshly.

"Did you ever love me or was it all just so you could look normal?" Axton walked up to Seven and placed his hand on her face. Seven flinched back slightly but Axton kept a firm grip on her. "Were you ever in love?"

Seven stared deep into Axton's eyes and felt her heart ache at the look on his face. Although her heart was fighting her, Seven whispered, "I never was."

Axton stepped back and ran a hand over the top of his hair. He shook his head and leaned back against the wall, "The Dem station, our military training, our wedding day... Meant absolutely nothing to you?"

"I'm incapable of love."

"You seem to care about your uncle."

"I may be able show concern, but I can't be in love." Seven explained, "Assassins don't love."

"Don't give me that bullshit. You're not void of emotions just because of your occupation."

"Do you still love me, Axton?" Seven asked.

Axton looked down at the ground, "I wish I didn't... Seven."

A long silence passed over the two.

"A paper I found in Vladof's facility..."

Seven looked over at Axton.

"... Had your name on it and some... Information about you."

"That son of a bitch did some research on me, huh..."

"It mentioned about your occupation and how you were able to use your position in the militia to your advantages as an assassin." Axton sighed, "... There was something else in another file about you..."

"Well?"

"There was an ultrasound." Axton noticed the shock in Sarah's face, "DOC was a month before I left."

Seven squeezed her eyes shut.

"What happened to our child?"

Seven took a long pause before answering, "... I miscarried."

Axton leaned his head back against the wall and stared up at the ceiling.

Neither of the two spoke for a long time as Axton did his best to calm himself.

"We need to know if you can cancel the contract on Maya."

"I want to make a deal." Seven responded, moving to sit back on the table.

Axton nodded, "I'll be back... And don't even think of teleporting, Zero took your device." Axton turned from Seven and walked out of the door, heading downstairs to find the group.

"Seven wants to make us a deal..." Axton spoke solemnly, standing off to the side.

The group walked back up the stairs past Axton. Leesa was last to walk up the stairs, stopping to place her hand on Axton's shoulder, "Are you okay?"

Axton nodded.

"AXTON!" Lilith screamed from upstairs.

Axton and Leesa immediately ran up the rest of the stairs to see everyone surrounding the table Seven was on. She was laying on the table on her back with her arms hanging off the sides. Foam was coming out of her mouth and her eyes were wide open.

"What the hell happened?!" Axton screamed out while running to Seven's body. He propped up her body with his arm under her back.

"She bit into a cyanide pill. I searched her so I don't know where she could have hidden it." Zero explained.

Axton closed his eyes tightly, pulling Seven into his arms.

"I... I'm so sorry, Axton." Maya walked up to Axton and placed her hand on his back.

"Why would she do this?" Mordecai whispered, looking at Axton slowly break down into tears.

Zero noticed something on Seven's left arm.

Seven had rolled up her left sleeve to reveal a set of numbers tattooed on her arm.

30.39248.

"There's some numbers on Seven's arm..."

Axton pulled his head up and moved Seven slightly to get a better look at her arm.

"I'll ask Tannis to run those numbers." Lilith turned around and walked out of the room.

Mordecai walked over to Leesa and grabbed her hand. He pulled her out of the room and slowly everyone else left as well.

Maya and Axton were the only two in the room.

"Let's bury her next to Shale."

Axton looked over to Maya in shock, "But... She wanted to kill you."

"She was your wife Axton. I would never deny you of burying her."

Axton smiled and placed Seven on the table before pulling Maya into a hug, "Thank you..."

* * *

**Seven may be a lucky number, but unfortunately for assassins it is not.** **=(**

**For those who do not know, DOC stands for Date of Conception, ie: the date Kirsten/Sarah/Seven got pregnant.**

**I know it seems like Seven didn't last long in this story but she was never intended to be a character who stays around for a while. She played her part and she'll be mentioned later eventually.**


	33. Seven's Choice

**I got some comments about wanting Zero to fight Seven but no worries! This is another chapter about Seven's past again so you'll see them fight!**

* * *

_Axton walked into Sarah's quarters, standing tall and proud while saluting her, "You asked for me?"_

_Sarah had her back faced to Axton. She was staring at a giant board in her tent that had multiple pictures and files pinned to it. She turned around and stood before Axton with her hands behind her back, "Axton, the rest of the battalion ships out to Themis tomorrow, and I don't want you with us. Not as a soldier, and... not as a husband._"

_Axton stepped forward,_ "_What? What the hell, Sarah-"_

_"Remember Hestias? Instead of protecting the dignitary assigned to your command, you put a tracker on him, gave him to the enemy, tracked them to their base, and blew it up... With the dignitary still inside."_

_Axton smiled and crossed his arms proudly, "Yeah, which was awesome! You can't pretend that wasn't awesome."_

_Sarah walked over to her desk and opened a drawer. She pulled out a giant file and slammed it onto the desk, "Demophon. Thrace. Tantalus. You've consistently prioritized personal glory over following orders." Sarah looked down and placed both of her hands on her desk, leaning forward slightly, "I don't need a soldier like that."_

_Axton threw his arms up in frustration, "__So what now? You gonna turn me over to the firing squad? Unless they've changed the rules on me, I'm pretty sure semper fi means 'forever.'"_

_"You are correct. At 0900 tomorrow, the MPs will escort you to the brig where you will await your execution. As your commanding officer, I cannot officially suggest you go AWOL, tonight, and try your luck on the border planets."_

_"__Too bad. That would have been good advice."_

_Sarah walked up to Axton and grabbed his hand, pulling it open. She placed an object in his hand and closed his fist._

_"What's this?" Axton asked before opening his hand._

_"My wedding ring. You can keep it - I never liked diamonds." Sarah turned around and walked back over to her desk. She grabbed Axton's file and tossed it into a drawer._

_"Ouch." Axton almost cringed._

_"You used to be proud of your uniform. You were the best soldier this militia had but then you started acting like a moronic child!"_

_Axton looked away from Sarah._

_"What happened to you?"_

_"You're the one who has changed Sarah."_

_"Excuse me?"_

_"You've turned into a stone cold killer! Half of the orders I've disregarded involved killing children and women! We're not supposed to kill innocent people!" Axton argued fiercely._

_"And what about the other half? For all you know, most of your casualties might have been innocent!" Sarah asked, stepping close to Axton to stare him down, "Don't act so high and mighty. You've grown selfish and useless as a soldier."_

_"You're pathetic, Sarah!" Axton stepped forward so he and Sarah were nearly touching. "You work for men who would do anything for control and when one person decides to break the mold, you plan to shoot them down."_

_"News flash, Axton, you work for the same men. You may follow your own rules but the blood you spill is still for them. Now get the hell out of my sight!"_

_Axton cursed out, "I should have never signed up with you."_

_Sarah watched Axton leave, her heart aching. She sat down on her chair and leaned back, staring at her desk as a tear rolled down her cheek._

**2 Days Ago...**

_Sarah walked down the halls of the assassins' headquarters. She was in her complete uniform, except for the helmet which was tucked under her arm._

_Once she reached the training room, Sarah put the helmet over her head. Bolts on the right side of the helmet clamped down securely. As soon as Sarah's helmet was on, she became Seven._

_The training room was simple. To the left was an obstacle course that ranged in different difficulties from beginner to expert. On the right were practice dummies and targets for shooting with guns and bows and in the corner by the targets was a giant rack with a variety of weapons and armor._

_In the dead center of the room was a giant dirt arena for sparring using weapons and hand to hand combat. It was lined with red brick to separate each part of the training room._

_Standing at the other end of the arena was Zero, the best assassin for Vahnn. His posture was completely straight with his legs slightly apart._

_Sarah walked up to the middle of the arena and bowed._

_Zero nodded and vanished, alerting Seven that the fight was on. She stepped back, glancing around for any sign of Zero. She felt the air slightly change as Zero ran past her from behind._

_Seven spun around and pulled out her orange katana, holding it up defensively as Zero's blue sword collided against her blade. She pushed against his force, skidding slightly on the dirt. Seven pushed with all of her strength to throw Zero off of her blade. She quickly slashed, but missed when Zero jumped back._

_He crouched and swiped his blade quickly at Seven's legs. She easily back flipped out of the way and ran at Zero with her weapon raised. Zero side stepped out of the way and smacked Seven between her shoulder blades with the hilt of his sword._

_Seven stumbled forward slightly, quickly gaining her composure in just enough time to dodge one of Zero's Kunai knives. The knife landed on the ground a little ways away from Seven._

_She rolled around Zero to get behind him and kicked him in his lower back, pushing him forward. While rolling, Seven had grabbed onto the knife and quickly threw it when Zero moved forward. The knife landed in the back of Zero's shoulder._

_Zero barely flinched and kept his stance. He skirted around Seven and her sword, dodging her attacks until he could see she was getting weary. With every swing of her blade, Seven's anger grew and Zero could see a weakness in her._

_As soon as Zero saw his opportunity, he reached forward and grabbed onto Seven's sword. The blade cut into his hand slightly as he moved his leg forward to trip Seven and cause her to fall on her back. _

_Zero stood above Seven, still holding onto her blade, "You still have much to learn."_

_Seven stood up and grabbed her sword, pulling it from Zero's grasp, "What more do I have to learn?!"_

_Zero reached behind himself and pulled out his knife, "Clarity."_

_"I've worked my ass off the last three years to be the best! I don't need to learn anything else!"_

_"You're only second best and because you can't handle your emotions, you will never be the best." Zero simply explained._

_"You want me to beat you?"_

_"Eventually someone must surpass."_

_Seven scoffed, "No one will ever beat you, Zero."_

_"Even still, you must learn to be void of emotions."_

_"I'm not your student anymore. Don't tell me what I have to do!"_

_"What were you thinking about while we were fighting?" Zero asked._

_"What the hell does that have to do with anything?" Seven gritted out, crossing her arms._

_"I could have killed you... You can't let that happen on your contracts. You need to get rid of any attachments, Seven." Zero explained simply._

_Seven shook her head, "I don't have time for your nonsense." She walked past Zero. Seven tried her best to forget what Zero said, but she knew deep down that he was right._

oOOOOOOOOOOo

Seven watched as Axton left the room. She smiled as memories of her and Axton flooded her head. Seven was still madly in love with Axton but knew that the two of them would have never worked out. Axton was right all along, Seven was a stone cold killer. Even though Axton was a killer, he picked his battles and opponents. Axton was never meant to take orders and it wasn't until 5 years into their service and 3 years into their marriage that Seven understood this. While on the other hand, Seven was taught to take orders without questions...

She wiped a few tears from her eyes and laughed slightly, "You were right Zero. I won't ever be the best." She slowly rolled up her left sleeve to her elbow, exposing the black numbers tattooed onto her arm.

"I hope you can forgive me, Axton..." Seven reached down to her boot and unclasped a strap on the side. The small heel under her boot popped down slightly, allowing Seven to pull out a cyanide pill. The pill was intended to be used as a last resort if she was captured by an enemy of Vahnn.

But as Seven placed the pill in her mouth and held it between her teeth, she wasn't escaping torture from others or questions Vahnn didn't want her to answer... She was ending the internal struggle between her own light and darkness.

A small part of her deep within wanted to be with Axton and live a normal life. The bigger part that was swallowing her light wanted to kill and maim. This darkness was created when she was young and was forced upon her. Seven never had a choice... But now she did.

Seven looked up at the ceiling and bit down on the pill with a big smile on her face.

* * *

**Sorry, but Seven was not a true villain/ evil person. She never chose to be an assassin for her uncle but was forced into it and 'bred' to be like that. I feel so bad for putting Axton through such crap but... Part of writing stories is doing things like this. Gotta have a lot of emotion!**

**Now, I kind of want to get serious for one moment...**

**I've noticed Guests have been quite rude while reviewing stories. I don't mean those who are actually giving helpful critique. I mean flat out rude and insensitive Guests.**

**When I was still in high school, writing stories was an outlet from bullying, home life, and personal demons. Now this may not be the case for EVERYONE, but there are a few people on here who are the same as I was. **

**No one in my life really cares about my writings or drawings except for one friend but she doesn't play Borderlands so I can't talk about this one. My family doesn't care 99% of the time and even my BF doesn't want to listen about my ideas. **

**You guys are my outlet and rock. You inspire me with your ideas and your stories and you help me so much with your critiques.**

**For a Guest to go onto someone's story and insult them for _trying_is flat out rude and should be stopped. **

**If you're a reader who has insulted someone, please apologize to that person and/or stop doing it. You don't know the person and you have no right to insult anyone no matter how you write, who you are, how old you are, etc.**

**No one and I repeat, _no one_ has the right to go on someone's story and insult them up and down. Reviews are there to _help_ writers with grammatical errors, spelling issues, formatting, story flow, and ideas. **

**They are not meant to be a tool for bullying or insults. **

**Nobody's perfect, I get it. But please, have some common courtesy. **


	34. The Deal

**Thanks for all of your support! We are getting closer and closer to the end of the first Icebringer! Ahh I'm so excited to finish this story and get with the sequel. The complete story is going to be fantastically awesome, I assure you!**

**So so so so sorry about how long this update has taken! **

**I live in Tuolumne County where the RIM Fire is and I've been spending as much time as possible volunteering and helping people move their animals and families to evacuation centers.**

**Surprisingly, there aren't too many people in evac centers! And although the growth potential of the fire is extreme, the wonderful firefighters, air crew, and officers have slowed down the pace. **

**Originally, the fire was tripling in size at night but it only went from 125,000 to 140,000 acres the other night. That is still a lot and I feel devastated for the people directly affected by the fire, but whatever the firefighters are doing is working!**

**If any of my readers are coincidentally from Tuolumne County that's closer to the fire than I am, let me know if you need any help whatsoever! I know someone who can transport live stock, I know numbers of free places to evac to and get transport from!**

** I pray for your safety!**

* * *

**The Morning After Seven's Death**

Leesa placed her hand against the window. Beyond the glass, she could see Axton, Salvador, and Zero digging a hole next to Shale's grave. Seven's body was wrapped up in a blanket and was placed beside the hole being dug. Mordecai walked into their bedroom and came up behind Leesa, looking out the window with her.

"I'm sure Axton will be okay."

Leesa closed her eyes, "It's hard to recover from something like this..."

Leesa slightly smiled when Mordecai wrapped his arms around her. He pulled her back into his chest and placed his chin on her shoulder, "You were able to recover."

"I was encased in ice for three months. I had time for just me and my thoughts. Axton doesn't have that. He has to see her grave and try to think and move on while still living a life. Someone may say something that pisses him off and it'll open all those wounds again. I spared myself of that."

Mordecai pulled Leesa closer, "Each person has their own way of grieving."

All Leesa could think of was the moment after Axton stopped holding onto Seven.

_"Of all the powers you have, you couldn't restrain her better, Leesa?! I mean, a chain?! Seriously?!"_

_"Axton... I didn't think she would do something like this..."_

_"We should have never gone through with your plan!" Axton threw his arms up in frustration. "Ever since you showed up, people we've cared about have died!"  
_

_Lilith walked up to Axton, "Please calm down. We didn't see this coming."_

_Axton shook his head and glared at Leesa, "Legendary Icebringer, my ass."_

"That may be true but we all have similar feelings. Axton is in the same boat as I was... And now he needs time... A lot of time to try and sort out his thoughts and heal his wounds."

"Regardless of how long his healing takes, Axton will be okay. He's a fighter." Mordecai kissed the back of Leesa's head.

Leesa watched Axton slowly stop digging and lean on his shovel. He wiped his bare arm across his face, wiping away sweat and tears from his face. Zero and Salvador stood with Axton for a moment before helping place Seven inside of the hole and backing away, leaving Axton alone with her body.

Leesa could see Axton mouthing his last words to Seven. When he looked up, his face broke Leesa's heart. He looked completely devastated and alone. She was dying to go down and make sure he was okay but she knew Axton didn't need anger on top of everything else.

"Do you believe people have destinies?"

Mordecai pulled back slightly, "I can't say that I do."

"The entire time you've been talking... The Eridian was talking under your voice. He has been doing this for a long time. I've grown used to talking with you and him at the same time..."

"You've mentioned that he talks to you a lot, before... But, what does that have to do with destiny?" Mordecai asked, letting go of Leesa so he could turn her around to face him.

"What if we all have a destiny... Destinies that have to cross each other in order to be fulfilled...?"

"What are you talking about?" Mordecai grabbed onto Leesa's shoulders and bent down a little so he was eye-level with her. Leesa refused to look into his face and looked over his shoulder instead.

"Whether or not Brick tried to save Shale, she would have died. The same goes for Seven and everyone else... It was all planned." Leesa further explained.

"You can't be serious."

Leesa finally looked at Mordecai's face and pulled down his goggles to see his eyes, "My father studied Sirens before he had me. What are the chances his child was a Siren? _Especially _an Icebringer Siren... He experimented on me and taught a student which was Jack. He married me and killed a Siren so our child would be that Siren.

"Which brought us here... Jack picked Maya, Axton, Salvador, and Zero to come here to kill off since he couldn't kill you original four. Maya, Axton, and Zero are connected with Seven, I was captured by the same man who experimented on Brick's sister and that man was working with Seven... All of these connections cannot be coincidence."

Mordecai shook his head as he listened to Leesa.

"Since day one, we've all been connected. I feel like... I know all of this was supposed to happen because this Eridian wants me here for some reason..." Leesa sighed, "It's know it's weird but... Do you believe me?"

Mordecai stared at Leesa and shook his head slowly once more, "I can't..."

Leesa's eyes saddened.

"I refuse..."

"Why? Don't you think these events a little too connected?" Leesa asked.

"They're not connected Leesa. It is coincidental." Mordecai argued.

"No! I KNOW this is destiny. We were supposed to meet! All of us! In different circumstances, we still would have met in some way! I'm sure of-"

"I refuse to believe that I had to lose two of my best friends just so I could meet you!"

Leesa backed away slightly, holding a hand to her heart.

"You know that's not what I was getting at-"

"Then what were you trying to say?!" Mordecai yelled out which caused Leesa's anger to spike.

"I just want you to hear me out!"

"I have and I'm through with this destiny nonsense!" Mordecai punched the wall next to him, "Now stop this Leesa!"

"Excuse me for wanting a bit of support from the man I'm seeing!" Leesa screamed, "I need someone on my fucking side!"

From outside their house, Axton looked up at the window Leesa and Mordecai were in front of. He could see the two of them arguing and throwing their arms around in frustration. Axton took note of the blue light coming from Leesa's back. Her wings were starting to take form as her anger rose. After a while of watching, Leesa stormed off and Axton could hear the door to Mordecai's house slam. Axton smiled and patted his shovel on top of Seven's grave.

**The Night of Seven's Death**

_Axton laid on his back in his bed. He stared up at the ceiling while his hands were behind his head. Every thought that crossed his mind was laced with memories of Sarah. For three years of their marriage, Sarah was an assassin behind his back and all Axton could do was try to remember if she showed any signs of her double life._

_He shook his head after coming up with no evidence and turned onto his left side. Axton blinked a few times when he came face to face with Sarah. His mind was so wounded by her sudden death that it had imagined his ex-wife next to him. She was on her side facing him with her red curly hair falling around her figure and face. Her green eyes were bright and her smile was big, "Hi sweetie." _

_Axton smiled weakly and reached his hand forward to touch Sarah's face. For a split moment, his hand actually came into contact with Sarah's skin. The feeling passed as did Sarah's image. Axton closed his eyes for a while, hoping to calm his mind._

_A few minutes later, Axton felt on edge like someone was in his room. He quickly turned over to his back and looked up at the ceiling. Hovering above him was the Eridian, Trey. He was leaned over Axton, staring into his face._

_Axton immediately rolled out of bed and went to grab his gun from the dresser beside him. _

_"How did it feel?" Trey asked._

_Axton looked over at Trey, his hand on the drawer handle, "How... How did what feel?"_

_"Seeing Sarah once more... Touching her." Trey elaborated._

_"You saw her too?" Axton slowly asked, pulling his hand off the handle. Looking at Trey's face calmed Axton down completely. He didn't feel threatened at all despite the intimidating figure of Trey._

_Trey kept staring at Axton, never blinking, "I put her there."_

_Axton slowly stood up, "You... Put her in my bed?"_

_"Yes. I can bring your wife back."_

_"How?"_

_"I have my ways... I just need you to do a few things for me."_

_"Even if you brought her back, things wouldn't work out... So why should I help you?" Axton asked._

_"She was lying when she told you she never loved you."_

_Axton shakily breathed out._

_"I can pinpoint exactly where she loved you the most in her life and bring her back then. I can wipe every memory of her ever being an assassin in any part of her life. She will be exactly how you love her... But, you must do some things for me." Trey explained, standing completely still._

_When Axton didn't answer, Trey kept talking, "Because of Sarah, you're alive... You've matured and are more of a team player, correct?"_

_Axton nodded._

_"Sarah was scared when she killed herself. Sad. She wants to be with you... Will you allow her that?"_

_Axton sighed, "What do I need to do?"_

_"First... Tomorrow morning, there will be a citizen here who will die from a heart attack. A woman about the same size as your wife. Wrap her in the tarp and bury her instead of Sarah so no one will know it isn't her. Then I need you to take Sarah to me... With Icebringer."_

_Axton slowly shook his head, "I can't do that..."_

_"Because the hunter cares for her?" Trey asked._

_Once again, Axton didn't say anything._

_"I can see the future and they do not last long. Tomorrow while you bury the decoy, they will argue and break up. That will be your chance to bring that wretched monster to me." Trey growled._

_"She's not a monster..."_

_"You don't know her true form. She isn't what she appears to be. Bring her to me and you will get your wife." Trey reached his clutched hand forward, opening his hand as sand fell from it and landed on Axton's bed, "Come to Vault in the desert... Don't let Icebringer deceive you on your journey."_

_"She's not Icebringer..."_

_"Are you sure Leesa came out of the ice and not Icebringer?" Trey asked as his eyes narrowed slightly._

_Axton looked down at the ground, "I'll be there." _

_"Come at nightfall." Trey commanded before vanishing into the air._

* * *

**Oh man. Trey's stirring some shit up.**

**That's what I call everyone on Lost. Little shit stirrers.**

**Hopefully this wasn't confusing for you guys. The last few chapters jump around through time a lot and this should be the last one. The next few don't really have flashbacks.**

**Also, I hope you guys caught on that Trey lied about how Seven was feeling when she died. She was sad but it was her choice to die. She wasn't scared.**


	35. Hands

**Sorry once more for how long this update took!**

**I've had little inspiration for these chapters until Trey shows up again. Ahh I feel awful xD**

* * *

A few hours after Leesa and Mordecai fought, Leesa walked out of Mordecai's home. She was looking at the ground with her arms wrapped around herself.

"Are you okay, senorita?"

Leesa looked up to see Salvador walking up to her with Axton.

She smiled, "Yeah, I just..." Leesa pointed behind herself with her thumb, "I was just dropping something off for Mordecai... Look Axton, I'm really sorry-"

Axton held a hand up, "It's fine, Leesa. I was just angry at everything. I know it wasn't your fault."

Leesa nodded.

"I heard you and Mordecai got into a fight." Axton mentioned as Salvador grabbed onto Leesa's wrist, pulling her towards Moxxi's bar, "Do you need to talk?"

Leesa shook her head, "Nah. It was a silly fight."

"Mordecai does fight often. It was miracle with how long Moxxi and him lasted." Axton mentioned, waiting to push Leesa's buttons.

"Those two dated? I can just imagine..." Leesa laughed lightly, following Salvador and Axton.

Axton nodded and joked, "Well, the only reason they stopped seeing each other was because Moxxi started seeing Jack-"

Leesa stopped walking causing Salvador to stop.

"Oh... I'm sorry..." Axton rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

"Jack... Did see other people?" Leesa slowly asked.

Axton looked down, "Uh, yeah."

Leesa glanced at Moxxi's sign on the front of her bar and shook her head, "I..."

Salvador grabbed Leesa's other wrist, "Leesa, it's okay. You have us."

Axton watched on, looking right at Leesa's eyes for a sign of Icebringer. He noticed the colors of Icebringer's eyes slowly creeping over Leesa's from the corners. Halfway to the pupil, the colors receded and vanished completely.

"I need to get away from here." Leesa pulled her wrists from Salvador and walked off in a rush towards the fast travel station.

Axton rubbed his left temple, "I really fucked up didn't I?"

"No, amigo. We all thought she was over Jack."

"Salvador?"

"Si?"

"Have you ever thought... That maybe during Leesa's meditation, Icebringer came out instead of her?" Axton asked, looking around for any signs of eavesdroppers.

Salvador shook his head, "I believe in Leesa."

"Not even for one moment?"

"If she was Icebringer, we would be able to tell."

"Icebringer could have taken over Leesa so she wouldn't show her normal eyes." Axton suggested.

"What's gotten into you?" Salvador asked, concerned over Axton's accusations.

Axton paused, "N-Nothing. I'm just... I've been thinking about a lot of things."

Salvador nodded and reached up to place a hand on Axton's shoulder, "You're strong, Axton."

Axton watched Salvador walk into Moxxi's bar before whispering to himself, "I'm not..." He turned to the fast travel station and walked over to it, looking at the recorder on it to see where Leesa went to. He selected the coordinates and entered the vortex, focusing himself on his task.

oOOOOOOOOo

Zero sat at the edge of his bed, leaning forward with his hands on his knees. Maya slept beside him with her back facing him. She muttered slightly in her sleep, causing Zero to look over his shoulder at her. He smirked slightly and took off his helmet, setting it on the night table closest to him. Zero laid back down in bed and moved close behind Maya, wrapping his arm around her.

He leaned over and kissed her ear, gently pulling her back into him more.

Maya stirred slightly, her eyes opening and closing tiredly, "Mm... You're still up?"

Zero rested his face in the crook of Maya's neck, "Yeah..."

"A lot has been happening lately, huh?" Maya commented.

"Unfortunately."

"How's your chest?"

"It's steadily improving. It will scar though."

"Scars are sexy."

Zero chuckled, "Let's hope for more then."

Maya smiled and intertwined her fingers with Zero's.

"I am concerned for Axton."

"We all are, hun." Maya pulled away from Zero so she could turn over to face him.

"I would have told him about Seven if I had known he was married to her."

"We know that, too." Maya stroked Zero's face, "Life's just a little complicated right now. Axton will be okay."

"What about Brick though?"

"Come on. Brick's the toughest guy on Pandora. He'll pull through too." Maya reassured, "Now what's really bothering you?"

"What do you mean?" Zero asked.

"You're usually the one comforting me when I'm worrying. Not the other way around." Maya responded simply.

Zero sighed, "There's a lot of things emotionally compromising us and we still haven't even faced the Eridian."

"If we can all pull through these few moments, we'll be able to handle the Eridian." Maya placed a hand over Zero's heart, "We have amazing friends who are so strong in many different reasons. The Eridian doesn't stand a chance."

Zero nodded, "I apologize for being doubtful."

Maya kissed Zero softly, "It's okay... I agree that this is all tough on us right now, but we'll stick together."

"I just... I had a weird experience the other day."

Maya rose an eyebrow, "What about?"

"It was when Axton started verbally attacking Leesa. I saw... Something." Zero closed his eyes, "There was a moment where I saw a gray hand on Axton's shoulder while he was yelling. When Leesa was talking, the hand went away and only reappeared when Axton was arguing with everyone."

"Why didn't you bring it up?" Maya asked, a bit concerned.

"Zed gave me some medication before we talked to Seven. I assumed it was a side effect." Zero explained, opening his eyes to watch Maya. "But I saw it happen again. I saw an orange hand on Leesa's shoulder while she was watching us out of her window earlier today. When Mordecai appeared in the window behind Leesa, he had the gray hand on his shoulder."

"What if this isn't a side effect of anything, Zero? What if this is really important?"

"What if it's not? It may really just be the medication."

"The Eridian's hand is gray and the hands you see are gray. This may be a sign of something bigger."

Zero grabbed Maya suddenly and pulled her off the bed with him. He forced them back away from the bed and close to the bedroom wall.

Maya looked up, grabbing onto Zero's arms, "What is it?" The fear on Zero's face caused Maya to start to panic.

"The orange hand was on your shoulder."

* * *

**This thing with Zero seeing hands was so last minute but I really like the idea of it playing in my head and how it enters the story later!**


	36. The Case

**Here's where things get _very _interesting...**

* * *

Leesa sat at the campsite behind Split Skull Bay, staring at the camp fire that wasn't lit. Snow was lightly falling and gathering on Leesa's bare shoulders. Her form of ice has made her tolerable to low freezing temperatures. Ice and snow clung onto the tips of Leesa's eyelashes, showing that her eyes had been open for long periods of time.

'_You're a moron, Leesa... You're over Jack...'_ Leesa thought to herself while shoving every memory of her and Jack out of her head.

"...Hey..."

Leesa turned to look over her shoulder. Axton stood by one of the rocks that blocked the campsite from view of the road. He slowly walked up to Leesa, sitting down next to her on the cold ground, "What are you doing out here?"

"Thinking."

"About what?" Axton asked while looking over Leesa's form. Her lips were a light blue and her eyes were dull.

"Leaving Pandora." Leesa answered simply.

"Why would you leave?"

"Cause you were right Axton... I've caused more trouble for your friends than anything."

"_Our _friends." Axton corrected, "You were never the cause of these problems. Things just... Happened when you showed up. No big deal."

Leesa opened her mouth slightly, letting out a hot breath that turned into a white cloud in the cold air, "Why are you out here?"

"I was worried about you."

Leesa glanced at Axton, "Why?"

"Because you're my friend?" Axton asked tentatively, "Leesa, I don't know what's going on in your head, but I'd like to know."

Leesa bit her lip before looking back at the pile of wood in front of her and Axton, "I was so heartbroken when you told me Jack had been with other women. After all the crap he put me through... Put you guys through... I _still_ have feelings for him. Small, but they're still there."

Axton nodded, "They say you go for the love you think you deserve."

Leesa quickly looked over to Axton, "But I want Mordecai..."

"There's some part of you that still cares for Jack even though he's gone. That part of you thinks you deserve nothing better." Axton explained, reaching forward to place a hand on Leesa's shoulder. Her skin was like soft ice, but Axton didn't remove his hand. "If you do want Mordecai, why would you leave?"

"I don't think he really wants to be with me... I cause a lot of pain for him that I tend to ignore. My ex husband killed two of his best friends..."

"That wasn't you though."

"It's hard for someone who's still mourning to realize that..." Leesa looked at Axton sadly.

Axton sighed at the realization, "I... Get it now. I did that to you the other day."

Leesa smiled a little.

"What was it like in the ice?"

Leesa paused, "It was tiring."

Axton moved to face Leesa completely, "What happened?"

"It was just me and my thoughts... I mentally battled Icebringer for my emotions and sanity. I won the battle but not the war. She's waiting for her chance." Leesa explained, "If I slip up once with my emotions, she'll be free... I am literally my own worst enemy."

Axton pulled out a fire rifle and ignited the wood, the flames growing and illuminating the darkening area as the sun set.

"What do you think the numbers mean?" Leesa asked.

"I... I don't know. I'm leaving that all up to Tannis." Axton responded while putting his rifle away.

"I'm sorry about your child. You would have made a great dad, I'm sure."

Axton smiled a little, "Thanks..."

"You and I are a lot alike, Axton."

Axton stole a glance at Leesa, "Yeah, we are." He suddenly stood up and held his hand out to Leesa, "I want to show you something."

Leesa looked up at Axton for a moment before placing her hand in his and allowing him to pull her up off the ground. She followed Axton out of the campsite and got into the car parked behind some rocks.

As Axton drove to a fast travel, Leesa looked around, remembering the night her and Mordecai took a drive... The night she realized she was falling for him.

"I got Mordecai a gift to make up for our fight."

"Oh yeah?" Axton parked the car and was about to get out of it when Leesa grabbed his arm.

"Promise me that if I do leave Pandora, you'll let Mordecai know that I didn't leave because of him."

Axton slowly nodded, "I promise..."

Leesa smiled, "Thank you, Axton." She got out of the car and waited for Axton to place a location in the fast travel.

After they exited the blue vortex, Leesa looked around, "Where are we?"

"Oasis." Axton answered, "We'll have to walk through the town to get a ride."

Leesa nodded and followed Axton, taking in the town of Oasis. The lights strung up lit up the night, showing every detail in the homes and banners of PierFest. Leesa stopped walking when she passed a body tied to a pole with a mega phone on it.

"What the hell is this?"

"Don't ask." Axton grabbed Leesa's arm and pulled her back into walking.

"Heeeeeeyyyyyyyy! Axton buddy best friend!"

"Oh no." Axton groaned as he and Leesa walked closer to the stand Shade was inside of.

"Best friend! Who's this?! Another awesome friend?!" Shade leaned over the booth's counter, shoving his hand out for Leesa's, "I'm Shade! Oh so nice to meet you!"

Leesa laughed lightly and shook Shade's hand, "I'm Leesa!"

"Ah Leesa! What a pretty name! Oh, but don't get any ideas! Nicole over there is my woman! Even though she doesn't admit to it! Haha... Ha." Shade ranted excitedly.

Leesa smiled and was about to respond when Axton pulled Leesa to the side, "Sorry Shade but we have to get going!"

"Awh come back soon! I need you!" Shade called out as Axton practically ran away with Leesa.

She laughed lightly, "What an interesting... Fellow."

"You have no idea."

Axton stopped pulling Leesa once they reached the Catch A Ride. He digistructed a sand-skiff and got into the driver's seat, "Come on!"

Leesa climbed onto the sand-skiff and sat in the gunner seat. Axton drove the sand skiff across the expansive desert, heading to Wurmwater. Leesa shot at a few sand worms along the way while Axton ran over bandits and pirates.

After some time, Axton slowed the sand-skiff to a stop and hopped out of the vehicle. Leesa jumped off, her feet sinking into the sand slightly from the impact. The lights from the sand-skiff was the only source illuminating the area around Leesa and Axton. She looked up and saw Axton walk over to a metal contraption almost fully buried by the sand.

He used his hands to dig around the object, brushing sand off and away from it. Leesa walked up and kept watching until the majority of it was uncovered. As soon as she saw the object, her mind flashed to an image of Brick looking down on her. The vision was blurry and only lasted for a split moment.

"What is this?" Leesa asked.

"This is the case Maya and Zero found you in." Axton answered, opening up the case to show the inside.

"Was Brick there?"

"Yes, he carried you to Sanctuary."

"So I was just a piece of cargo to Jack..." Leesa looked down at the sand, "Why did you bring me out here?"

"To tell you that you shouldn't leave Pandora."

Leesa glanced at Axton, watching him as he looked down at the case.

"It's hard for me to say this, but you belong here. You've been here longer than most of us, trapped in this case... This one object is what brought you to us. You've done a lot for us and we'll all miss you if you leave."

"Axton, I-"

"You believe in destiny don't you?"

Leesa's eyes widened, "... Yes."

"... I'm sorry, Leesa."

Leesa looked at Axton in confusion, "For what?"

Suddenly, Axton grabbed onto Leesa's hair and slammed her head down onto the case. Her unconscious body fell onto the sand before the case.

Axton stared down at Leesa, breathing heavily before lifting her up into his arms. He carried Leesa over to the sand-skiff and gingerly placed her in the front.

"I have to do this for Sarah."

* * *

**Whoo some more drama for you guys! **

**Now, let's see if Trey will keep his end of the bargain with Axton.**

**Do you guys have an idea on what Leesa got Mordecai?**


	37. An Unfortunate Transaction

**This is the chapter that starts all of the action until the end of the story. Let's get this rolling!**

**I honestly don't mean to put a ton of cliffhangers! It just happens. xD I'm sorry! **

* * *

Leesa's eyes slowly fluttered open. She winced slightly and placed a hand on her head, feeling a small cut across her forehead. Once her eyesight became clear, all Leesa could see was purple. She reached forward and felt a weird film like substance blocking her inside of a box.

Her eyes widened when she realized she was in a case much like that of Trey's. Leesa tried pushing her hand through the film but immediately pulled back when she felt her insides burn. She attempted to use Dimensional Electricity but her powers were being hindered by the case she was locked in.

"Now can you bring Sarah back?"

Leesa looked around the giant Vault and saw Axton standing in front of Trey. In between the two was Seven's body, laying on the ground on her back. They were all at the very top of the giant stairs in the Vault hidden at Oasis.

Leesa placed her hands on the film, "Axton!"

Trey looked over to Leesa, causing her to push her back against the inside of the case in fear, "Looks like Icebringer is awake."

Axton refused to look over at Leesa, "I did as you asked."

A few tears fell from Leesa's eyes as she realized that Axton was giving her up to Trey.

Trey nodded, "You did well." He lifted up his arm and spread out his fingers, his hand hovering above Seven's body. A bright light originated from the palm of Trey's hand and enveloped Seven's form. Leesa and Axton placed their arms in front of their faces, protecting themselves from the bright light.

Once the light dulled and vanished, Trey pushed his hand down slightly and then back up. Each time he did this, Seven's chest rose and fell as if Trey was giving her breath. After Trey did this five times, Seven opened her eyes and gasped out for air. She sat up and placed a hand on her forehead before looking over to Axton.

Leesa gasped and placed a hand over her mouth, "How..."

Axton stood completely still, looking at his ex-wife in shock, "S-Sarah?"

"Where are we, Axton?" Sarah asked nervously. She went to turn around until Axton crouched down quickly and grabbed her face. He made sure she was looking at him and not Trey.

"I'll explain later... I... I've missed you." Axton almost choked out. He leaned forward and stole a quick kiss.

Sarah smiled when Axton pulled away, "Oh, but honey, we just saw each other an hour ago!"

Axton pulled Sarah into a hug and looked up at Trey. He nodded and backed away a bit, watching the reunion go on. Trey had been true to his word and erased every bad memory from Sarah's mind.

Axton stood up and pulled Sarah with him, "Let's go." He grabbed Sarah's hand and led her towards the end of the stairway and across the bridge that led to the exit of the Vault.

Leesa placed her hands on the film, watching on as Axton left her behind.

Halfway to the exit, Axton felt a sharp pain in his back and yelled out. He fell forward onto the ground, revealing a knife deep in his back.

"AXTON!" Leesa screamed out, trying to push out of the film once more. She pulled back again, the burning sensation growing in intensity.

Sarah leaned forward and pulled the knife out of Axton's back. She looked back at Trey and waited for his command.

Leesa looked between the two and urged her mind to react.

"Kill him." Trey ordered.

Leesa closed her eyes and shoved her tattooed arm completely out of the film, "LEAVE HIM ALONE!"

A bright light enveloped Axton as he was teleported from the room right as Sarah stabbed the ground with her knife.

Trey whipped his head over to Leesa, "How did you remember Phase Walk?!"

Leesa grabbed onto her arm and slid down to sit in the case, cursing the pain coursing through her veins.

As Trey walked up to the case, he moved his hand towards Seven. Her eyes rolled into the back of her head as she fell forward, the breath being released from her chest.

Leesa looked up as Trey leaned in towards the case threateningly, "How. Did. You. Remember?!"

She refused to answer, but instead glared at him.

Trey's eye twitched. He reached in and grabbed Leesa's neck, pulling her forward and then slamming her into the back of the case, "Answer me!"

Leesa grunted out and grabbed onto Trey's arm, "I don't know! I just did!"

Trey stared at Leesa for a moment before releasing his grip on her. Leesa slumped against the back of the case, watching Trey walk away.

"What do you want from me?" Leesa choked out.

Trey turned around and leaned into the case, "You still haven't figure out any of the messages I've been sending you?"

Leesa started shaking in ultimate fear as Trey's face moved in through the film until he was right in front of Leesa's face, "You've tortured me enough and I'm putting an end to this."

"I didn't do anything to you..." Leesa whispered shakily.

Trey smiled, revealing the sharp teeth in his mouth, "I'm going to torture you like you've done to me, Lyptus."

"What... Who's Lyptus?"

"I'll take from you what you've taken from me."

"Stop! I don't know what you're talking about!" Leesa cried out.

Trey leaned his head back, "Your friends will be here shortly... Thank you for sending the message to them that will bring them to me."

Leesa's eyes widened, "No, no! Leave them alone!"

Trey shook his head.

"You monster! Stop all of this! Leave us alone!"

"It's not that simple. Don't you remember, you woke me up." Trey taunted.

Leesa placed her hands on her head to try and calm herself.

"You should thank me."

Leesa looked up at Trey and spat out, "_Why?!"_

"You'll be able to witness something marvelous. I won't kill you until after you see me bring back my people."

"W-What?"

"That dimension you and the other abominations toy with is home to my people. They've been watching you... Learning... plotting... We're going to take back what's ours."

Leesa's breath quickened, "Every time we use Phase Walk..."

"They're watching you. I'm surprised you never see them. After all, you're the only one who can keep your eyes open in the blast."

"Why are you telling me all of this? Why would you let me live that long?" Leesa asked, finally standing up in the case.

Trey smiled again, "I live off of your fear."

* * *

**Shit stirrer! **

**What do you guys think?**

**I'd be really freaked out with using Phase Walk anymore if I knew Eridians were watching me. o.o**


	38. Previous Gods

**Because one of my classes this Fall got cancelled, I only have a night class until December. Which means I won't have that awesome access to computers two days a week. Although I have my own computer, I get easily distracted by stuff in my house while if I type at school, it's a lot less distracting. Ah well. I will make due to try and get back into my quick updates!**

* * *

Leesa stared at the Eridian in disbelief, "You... You what?"

"Your emotions are powerful and I can taste them."

A shiver raced down Leesa's spine, "W-what are you?"

Trey stood unrealistically still, his back hunched slightly which gave him a menacing appeal, "I'm what you humans call an Eridian."

"What _are_ you?" Leesa asked again.

"We are Gods to you. All you humans are slaves to our needs, even your religions that have grown over the years are from us."

Leesa shook her head.

"All of these chambers you call Vaults were created by human labor under our whip." Trey walked up to the case and forced his arm into it. He grabbed onto the front of Leesa's face and filled her mind with the pain and agony of thousands of humans being forced into hard labor. Leesa's body twitched as she experienced every hit from whips, kicks and punches and felt the emotional pain of seeing loved ones be beaten to death. She saw many humans start out fighting and slowly lose their own sense of being. They starved, grew sick, and eventually died. She screamed when Trey let go and walked away.

Leesa slumped onto the bottom of the case, holding onto her head as it pounded. Her eyes were fading into Icebringer's while her wings appeared folded behind her.

"So Icebringer appears with angel wings? How misplaced." Trey remarked. "This is the second time you have been hindered by an object, but Icebringer has been able to get free..."

Leesa looked up and shook her head repeatedly, keeping Icebringer at bay, "What do you know about Icebringer?"

Trey ignored the question, "I wonder how much of a challenge your friends are going to be..."

Icebringer's eyes disappeared completely, "Don't hurt them."

"Oh but I have to. You see, it's destiny." Trey mocked Leesa, "I'm the warrior destined to kill you and your pathetic friends. I'm the one who will bring my people back and take what's rightfully ours."

"That can't be right..." Leesa whispered.

"This is beyond right and wrong, you pathetic host!" Trey growled out, "There are no rules here! No morals, no theories, no thought! We act and do what we were meant to do."

Leesa placed a hand on her heart, "We can have a choice..."

Trey scoffed, "Now that death is staring you in the face you're having doubts! You think you can change this? You think I won't kill you?"

"Then why wait?!"

"This is my domain now. You may have attempted to make rules previously, Lyptus, but you failed."

"I'm not Lyptus!" Leesa screamed out.

"Leesa is nothing!" Trey argued, "You're the host of many things. You're composed of Icebringer and the origin Lyptus but nothing of you is you. I have no qualms with your form, _Leesa_, only what resides in you."

"I'm-"

"You're the apocalypse!" Trey boomed, "And I'm the God that will stop you!"

oOOOOOOOo

Lilith leaned against the bar with her elbows, "You bit the pastor?!"

Salvador shrugged, "He was annoying."

Lilith rolled her eyes, "I should have known you would have come back with a story like this."

Maya smiled, "You have the best stories about your hometown visits!" She sat on top of the bar next to Moxxi's tip jar while holding onto her mug with both hands.

"Oh come on now sugar. If you're going to be on my bar top, you have to be dancing." Moxxi walked over to the group and nudged Maya lightly in her back.

Maya hopped off, "My bad."

"So what else happened?" Lilith asked.

Salvador held out his arm to show a bandage wrapped around it, "He bit back."

Maya almost spat out her drink, "You're kidding!"

Salvador shook his head, "I even pulled out the gold tooth that got stuck." He pulled out a small golden tooth out of his pocket and handed it to Maya.

She erupted into laughter, "What kind of pastor has a golden tooth?!"

Lilith shook her head, "Ovejas sounds like every town on Pandora all mixed into one."

"I'd go there." Zero commented.

Salvador reached over and slammed his mug into Zero's, "You should, amigo!"

"That'd be quite the trip!" Maya leaned against Zero by placing her arm onto his shoulder, "It's the only place we haven't caused mayhem in!"

Lilith looked over to the door as Brick walked in and threw his body down onto a seat next to Salvador. She stretched her hand against the counter towards Brick, "Are you alright?"

Brick grunted, "I just needed time."

Lilith nodded, "Uhm. Axton, Mordecai, and Leesa buried Shale. I can show you to it-"

Brick shook his head, "I don't need to see it."

Moxxi walked over to Brick with a giant mug and handed it to him, "Where have you been? The bar is lonely without you getting into fights!"

"I'm here now." Brick chugged his drink down and slammed it down into the counter, "What did I miss?"

"An assassin was sent after me that turned out to be Axton's ex wife... She ended up dying." Maya informed, swishing the alcohol in her mug around.

"Was her name Sarah?" Brick asked, pushing his mug to Moxxi.

"Y-Yeah. How'd you know?" Lilith scooted closer to the edge of her stool.

"I went back to the facility where Vladof was. I found files about an assassin whose boss was funding Vladof's... Creations." Brick scratched the side of his neck while looking to the side, "He had plans on turning me into a badass psycho."

"That would have been awful!" Maya commented, "I couldn't imagine..."

"Did you find anything else?" Zero asked.

Brick paused a moment before shaking his head, "I trashed the place and left."

"Did you pun-"

Salvador was cut off when Lilith yelled out, "Axton!"

Everyone looked to the door as Lilith ran over to Axton. He was hunched over with a hand against the door frame to keep from falling over.

Axton breathed out harshly, "The Eridian..."

Lilith grabbed onto his arm, "What happened Axton?"

"I was stabbed..."

Lilith moved to look at Axton's back and saw a giant hole in his back with blood pouring from it, "We need to get you to Zed!"

Brick stood up off his stool and walked over to Axton and Lilith, "I'll get him."

Maya, Zero, and Salvador walked over to the door to follow Brick as he moved to let Axton lean against him. As he led Axton out of the door, Lilith walked beside them to keep questioning Axton, "Who stabbed you?"

Axton shook his head, "Go to Oasis... The Eridian is going to kill Leesa."

Lilith stopped walking and placed a hand on her forehead while looking around, "Dammit!" She turned to Maya, Zero, and Salvador, "Get ready. I'm sending you three first and then I'll grab Mordecai and Brick and meet you there."

Salvador nodded, "I'm ready now."

"How are we supposed to save Leesa from something we can't shoot?" Maya asked.

Lilith looked over to Maya, "Keep trapping it and use grenades or your melee weapons. Find a weakness and exploit it. If all else fails, get Leesa and leave." She held out her arm, "No one else is dying, understood?"

Maya nodded, "See you soon."

Lilith's arm lit up as her body was engulfed in flames. A bright light surrounded Maya, Zero, and Salvador which caused them to vanish completely.

"Mordecai is not going to be happy about this..."

* * *

**I hope that this isn't too confusing for you guys. I know I'm throwing a lot at you with Trey but it will be explained soon.**

**Trey is a very... Interesting character, but he is right. Leesa is a host to two forces. The basics will be explained in this story, but the majority of it will be explained in the sequel.**

**That should make you guys want to read it xD**


	39. Killing the Bridge

**Here comes an intense fighting chapter! Squeee**

* * *

Leesa closed her eyes tightly, "Who... Who was the o-orange Eridian?"

Trey cocked his head slightly, "You saw her?"

"You said you sent me messages..." She opened her eyes to watch Trey's reactions.

Trey's eyes squinted as he looked to the side, avoiding eye contact with Leesa.

"LEESA!"

"Maya?" Leesa pushed herself against the film to see Zero and Salvador running after Maya. Once the three of them crossed the bridge and began climbing up the stairs, Leesa cried out, "Get out of here!"

The three stopped at the top of the platform when Trey turned his head and glared at them. Fear struck Maya's core at the sight of the otherworldly being.

Trey smiled to show them all his jagged teeth, "So it begins..."

"What?" Maya asked as bright lights shot up from the bottom of the Vault. The lights swirled around the room and took form into Sera Guardians while another light swarmed Trey.

"Since you've destroyed my weapons, I have no choice but to kill you all myself." Trey's eyes lit up a bright gold as the lights attached themselves to certain areas around Trey's body. The light that swirled chaotically around Trey's arms took form into giant blades much like the Sera Guardians'. Giant metallic wings grew from Trey's back, allowing him to hover above the ground. The wings were long and a light silver color with giant shards of Eridium pierced through the metal. Trey floated upwards above the platform and reached out his arm, with his hand held open. He clenched his fist tightly, "It's time to end the suffering."

Zero instinctively pushed Salvador out of the way and pulled out his sword, holding it out to clash with Seven's blade.

"What the hell?!" Maya yelled out as she aimed her Maliwan SMG at Seven.

Seven skirted around Zero, their blades scraping together harshly as she moved. She swiftly reached forward and ripped her teleporting device from Zero's waist and disappeared from sight.

Salvador pulled out his rifle and took aim at Trey until Maya ran over to Salvador and placed her hand on his rifle.

"Bullets won't affect him!" Maya advised before dodging a blast of purple energy a Sera Guardian shot at her. She scrambled to find cover behind a broken arch and shot over her shoulder at a Guardian. She shot a blade off of its arm which caused it to stumble around in the air before flying towards her.

Zero went to run over to Maya until he was forced to block Seven as she appeared and attempted to kick him in the chest. Zero grabbed onto Seven's leg and threw her to the side. She quickly flipped into the air and landed in a crouched position, sliding back a bit from the impact. Seven ran up to Zero who held out his sword to block her attack. When Seven was close enough she grabbed onto Zero's blade, allowing it to sink into her hand.

"You can't hurt me. I'm already dead." Seven taunted while pulling Zero's sword from his grasp. She back flipped away from him three times before a final flip caused her to jump high into the air. She landed her feet against a broken arch and lunged Zero's sword at Salvador.

Salvador rolled out of the way and pulled out two rifles, shooting one at Seven and the other at a Guardian. The shots from Salvador's rifle caused the arch to break and forced Seven to kick herself off and away from the crumbling debris.

Maya ran from under her cover to avoid the giant pieces of concrete falling around her. When she hit the ground, she looked up in time to see Trey fly over to her. He grabbed onto the back of Maya's shirt and flung her into the ground near where Seven was. Seven attempted to stab Maya with her sword when a bright light burst from the middle of the room. Seven raised her arm to block the light and when she pulled her arm back down, Brick shoved his shoulder into the front of her body. She went flying and skidded across the ground by the entrance, landing on her back.

Brick grabbed onto Maya's arm and pulled her up.

"Thanks." Maya said breathlessly before looking over to Lilith and Mordecai as they appeared from the light.

Leesa smiled at the sight of Mordecai and attempted to force her body through the film once more, "Mordecai!"

Mordecai turned to look at where Leesa's voice came from. He ran over to the case and grabbed onto Leesa's hand as it shot through the film, "Leesa, are you-"

"Pull!" Leesa cried out in pain.

Mordecai held Leesa's hand tightly and attempted to pull her through the film. Once Leesa's shoulder was through the film Trey flew into Mordecai, throwing him over to Salvador.

"Mordecai!" Leesa called out as she pulled her arm back into the case.

Mordecai grunted and picked himself up off the ground, standing straight as Trey floating before him.

In a split second, Trey vanished and had Mordecai on the ground. The tip of his large blade was up against Mordecai's throat.

"Do you believe in destiny, hunter?" Trey spat out.

Before Trey could pierce Mordecai's throat, Lilith held out her arm and teleported Mordecai closer to where Maya and Zero were. Before she could do anything more, Seven tackled Lilith. Seven held onto a dagger and tried forcing it against Lilith's neck. Lilith pushed on Seven with her arms to keep the dagger at bay until Brick kicked Seven in the side. Seven rolled off of Lilith and teleported away from Brick's punch.

"Oh no you don't!" Lilith picked up Seven's dagger and teleported after her, appearing before Seven each time she teleported away. The two fought each other while moving randomly around the Vault.

Maya held her hand open and sent out a giant orb of slag after a Guardian. Once it was covered in the slag, Zero shot it with a corrosive sniper. The body of the Guardian fell through the sky and took down another Guardian, causing it to crash against the ground.

Five Sera Guardians flew after Salvador, each one dodging his bullets as he exited from Gunzerking. When he held only one gun, all of the Guardians flew forward, holding out their swords to stab at Salvador. Maya quickly sprinted to Salvador and skidded onto her knees in front of him. She held out her arms and shouted, "Phase Shield!"

A giant plate of Phase Lock's energy appeared before Maya's hands, blocking the Guardians from Salvador. All five hit the shield and blew up from the impact.

Brick went after Trey and grabbed onto one of the blades attached to his arm. He pulled back and tried ripping it from Trey's arm. Trey pushed forward, causing Brick to fly with him until he was forced into the rocky wall. Trey pushed farther, cutting into Brick's chest slightly with the blade. Brick squeeze on the blade with his giant hands until the sword shattered, relieving the pressure on Brick's chest. Brick kicked Trey's abdomen hard enough for Trey to float back and vanish. Brick pushed himself from the wall and hit the ground on one knee. He grabbed onto a boulder next to him, lifted it above his head, and threw it at three Sera Guardians harassing Zero.

One Guardian flew over to Mordecai and scraped its sword against his left arm. He jumped back and forced his sword into the Guardian's face. He kicked the Guardian's torso to push it off his blade and into another Guardian that was flying towards him. It ripped through its fallen comrade and rose its arm above its head to strike down on Mordecai. He rolled out of the way as it hit its blade against the ground.

Salvador ran over and jumped on the Guardian's bowed head, crushing it. He tossed one of his Conference Calls to Mordecai who caught it swiftly with his hand. Mordecai spun around and aimed the shotgun but slowly lowered it when thousands of lights flew up into the air. The lights each took form into Guardians of varying sizes. Mordecai stole a glance at Leesa as she watched on worriedly before he put the shotgun up again and started blasting Guardians from the air. Many fell down to the ground either dead or wounded but a few made their way past Mordecai to attack his comrades behind him.

After teleporting around the Vault multiple times, Lilith grew weary and made her way to a wall with Eridium writing carved into it. She placed her hand above it and absorbed as much energy as she could. She then teleported after Seven who was attacking Brick. As soon as Lilith appeared and was about to use Phase Blast on Seven, Trey showed up behind Lilith and forced his blade through Lilith's side. She cried out and grabbed onto her side while falling onto her knees.

"LILITH!" Leesa screamed out as she dug her fingers into the film.

Brick grabbed Seven and threw her at Trey before picking Lilith off the ground. He ran to another broken archway where Maya was fighting. Once she killed a Guardian that was attacking her, she held up as shield around her, Lilith, and Brick.

Mordecai looked over at Leesa when she screamed. A Guardian took the opportunity and shot at Mordecai while he was distracted. He was hit in the side of his neck and right shoulder. He hit the ground and moved to shoot the Guardian with Salvador's shotgun.

Once the Guardian was dead, Trey flew over to Mordecai and picked him up by his now burned throat. Zero moved to attack Trey until he was tackled by Seven and fell down the giant stairs. Maya blasted Seven with a slag orb and moved to the edge to look for Zero. He landed a few stairs down from the top platform and pushed himself off the ground. He looked up at Maya and held a thumbs up to her.

"Do I need to ask again?" Trey squeezed Mordecai's neck slightly as he kicked and tried to get free.

Leesa's body started shaking at the sight of Trey hurting Mordecai. Ice began to rapidly cover Leesa's entire form including her hair and eyes.

Icebringer shrieked as the case exploded into tiny pieces around her. The Sera Guardians stopped attacking and moved their heads to stare at the fully formed Icebringer. Normally, the ice encased most of Leesa's body and you could still see her features under the ice. This time, the ice completely covered Leesa's body and her features underneath were dulled out. Dark clouds swirled around under the ice, distorting Leesa's features even more. Icebringer's eyes remained the same including her wings and her hair still flowed around chaotically, but with ice covering the strands too.

"You're pathetic, Trey." Icebringer spat out.

Trey looked over at Icebringer and dropped Mordecai, "You're the one trapped in a weak human."

Mordecai grabbed onto his neck and rubbed the uninjured side where bruises were starting to take form.

Icebringer's eyes narrowed, "It's time you learned your place. You're not a God. _I'm _God." Icebringer flew at Trey and grabbed onto his face. Ice crept from Icebringer's hand over Trey's face before she slammed him onto the ground. Trey slashed with his sword, cutting through the ice around Icebringer's abdomen. She hissed and held her arms out, using Dimensional Electricity to shock Trey's body. She then lifted her arm and with this movement, Trey was lifted up by his neck through an invisible force. When she clenched her hand slightly, Trey's throat was squeezed.

"Now," Icebringer threw Trey into an arch, "Bow to your master!"

Zero was able to climb up to where Maya was and held onto her tightly as they all watched on in confusion.

"Never!" Trey spat out, "You've done nothing to earn respect!"

"I don't need respect!" Icebringer shrieked as she continued throwing Trey around the room multiple times, denting the rocky walls with his body. She finally slammed him back onto the ground in front of her, "I demand obedience!"

Trey slowly forced himself to stand up, shakily moving from the beating he was receiving, "I will _never_ follow you."

Icebringer scoffed, "You're _still_ mad about that worthless Eridian?"

Trey glared and wiped the blood from his mouth, "I see now that you're no longer a part of Lyptus... But, I'll never give you what you want, Icebringer. I'm destined to kill you."

Icebringer began cackling, "You believed her?! Destiny doesn't exist you fool!"

Trey reached behind himself and ripped off the wings that had attached to his back. He tossed the wings to the side and slowly began walking towards Icebringer, "I'd rather believe her lie than listen to your truth."

Once Trey was close enough, he ran at Icebringer while holding his blade back. He used his momentum to shove his sword all the way through Icebringer's stomach. Trey used his blade to lift her up off the ground so he could stare into her eyes.

"Leesa!" Mordecai yelled out, standing up to run over.

Icebringer suddenly reached forward and grabbed onto Trey's face, "I don't need you alive to create the bridge." She wickedly smiled, "Phase End."

Trey's eyes rolled into the back of his head as he buckled down onto his knees. His blade vanished into a bright light which released Icebringer. Trey then fell to the ground on his side as his last breath left his throat.

* * *

**I worked so hard on this fight scene. I hope you guys liked it! This chapter was meant to show a bit more of Icebringer's relationship with Trey and how Icebringer truly talks. **


	40. An Eridian's Bedtime Story Part 1

**These are the chapters that explains EVERYTHING about Trey and it's all the second big reveal! Whooooo!**

**A couple of things before hand:**

**1. Erin Du in Eridian is Eridium Blight.**

**2. Ollan ocean is Oasis (before it dries up).**

**3. Hillan ocean is in the Highlands.**

**4. Aci Cry is short for Acidic Crystals or otherwise known as Caustic Caverns.**

**5. When I thought about this reveal, I really really really wanted to do it in the form of a bedtime story and normal events. I hope you guys enjoy it!**

* * *

**_Once upon a time, there was an Eridian destined to be the gatekeeper of an apocalypse. He was named the Eridian word for 'kill' or 'to kill' by the wise men so that he would strike fear in the hearts of humans who would dare cross the Eridians._**

**_The wise men trained him to be a pillar of perfection. He learned the art of deception, the stances of war, and absorbed knowledge as vast as the wise men themselves. Ever since he was a young one, he knew his job. Everything was planned out for him for when he would come of age and the Eridians would set on their path towards higher knowledge._**

**_One day, however, destiny started a set of events that would destroy the ancient Eridian culture..._**

"*We have constructed many chambers you may choose from to set up and close the gate.*" The oldest wise man, Melrich stated.

"*Why must I choose?*" Trey asked, his head bowed in respect to the wise men before him.

The five wise men and Trey were standing in the Vault at Ollan ocean. It was composed of multiple stairs that led up to a flat platform where the wise men stood and sat at. Trey was located on the platform that led to the stairs.

"*You were born the gatekeeper, Trey. You must decide the best location.*" Melrich explained.

Trey nodded, "*I will look at them as soon as possible.*"

"*Good... We need you to go to Erin Du and speak with the warmaster. He has some requests about the Warrior.*" Skarx ordered.

"*Yes, wise men.*" Trey placed a fist to his chest before standing up straight and walking out of the room.

He walked through one of the tunnels that led to giant intersections between chambers. On this pathway, it would take him to Erin Du's multiple war rooms and arenas.

After walking in the tunnel for an hour, the tunnel branched off into a giant room where Eridians went to cleanse their souls of impurities.

**_It was a common belief among Eridians that they had souls that were either weighed down by impurities or lifted with purity. Some Eridians believe that if they are impure, they will fall ill and some do believe in a heaven and hell. _**

**_Most religions in worlds today are from Eridians passing on their knowledge to humans. _**

Upon walking into the Aaryn Chamber, Trey noticed there were many Eridians standing around a giant pool of water with leaves and flowers inside of it. They each were chanting over and over with their eyes closed.

As Trey walked past the stairs that led to the pool, an orange Eridian rose from the water.

The female Eridian took a deep breath and chanted with the group, "*And once more, we are cleansed.*"

Trey stopped walking once his eyes met hers. A strong warmth and tingling feeling entered his chest at the sight of her. She put her hand to her head as she watched Trey stand at the bottom of the stairs.

The two Eridians could feel an electric static come between the two. Each one was filled with thoughts that raced through their heads and caused confusion. Their hearts pounded and their skin flushed with a sudden heat that took the two by surprise.

Trey stared into her light blue eyes, his heart pounding against his chest. Trey felt like he had run a marathon just by looking at the beautiful Eridian covered in water. A few flowers were resting on her long shoulders, adding to her beauty.

She moved forward out of the pool, allowing the next Eridian to walk into the water.

Before she could walk down the stairs to Trey, he shook his head and walked off in a quick pace.

The female Eridian paused, with a hand placed on her chest. When Trey walked away, she felt a strange pain come over her. She felt as though someone stabbed her heart and the pain intensified at the thought of Trey's face.

A purple Eridian came up behind the orange Eridian, "*Nora, are you sick?*"

Nora shook her head, glancing to the purple Eridian, "*No, Lars...*"

Lars moved to the right side of the pool, chanting once more. Nora walked down the stairs and moved to the tunnel Trey went through. She watched his figure disappear into the crowd of Eridians walking around.

"*What just happened to me*?"

**_Unbeknownst to Trey and Nora, they had witnessed something strange that no other Eridian had experienced... Eridians were incapable of emotions whatsoever, but as soon as Trey and Nora saw each other, they fell in love... These star crossed lovers had crossed paths and only time would tell if their destinies would be intertwined._**

Nora stood in an underground cave with small openings in the ceiling that allowed snow to trickle down. The light glittered around the snow covered walls and the snow falling above the Eridian. She stared up at the snow, allowing the flakes to land on her face and melt.

Trey walked into the cave, standing by the entrance.

Nora turned to face him, "*I didn't think you'd come.*"

"*What have you done to me?*" Trey asked, walking closer to Nora.

"*Hm?*" Nora cocked her head to the side, "*What do you mean?*"

"*You've... I can _feel_. We don't have the capacity to feel emotions like the lesser humans do.*"

Nora sighed, "*Humans aren't lesser than us...*"

Trey almost growled, "*You're one of those who believe in human rights, aren't you?*"

Nora crossed her arms, "*Is that... Anger I sense?*"

"*What did you do to me? I was a pillar of perfection until I saw _you._*" Trey stepped forward threateningly.

"*Don't blame me. I feel the exact same way towards you. I felt pain when you walked away... My... Heart fluttered when I saw you.*" Nora uncrossed her arms and looked down, "*I don't... Know what happened to us, but...*" Nora looked up, "*I want to embrace it.*"

Trey scoffed, "*I'll never embrace a human trait.*"

"*We're more like humans than you know!*"

"*Don't tell me what I know.*" Trey turned around and stormed off.

"*You're just scared!*" Nora called out.

Trey stopped walking but kept his back to Nora.

"*Something wonderful has happened. I want answers as much as you do... Don't walk away from the unknown. Help me find the answers.*"

"*How would I be able to help you?*"

"*You're the gatekeeper. You have access to the wise men's libraries... There must be something there.*"

Trey turned around and walked to Nora until he was right in front of her. Nora looked up at Trey so he could look into her eyes. Trey was almost blinded by the emotions swirling in her bright blue eyes. Seeing this lightness in them made Trey's stomach ache.

"*Don't be scared of something new and wonderful.*" Nora smiled.

Trey felt his heart beat faster at the sight of Nora's smiling face.

Trey closed his eyes and shook his head, "*Stay away from me.*" He turned around and walked out of the cave, leaving Nora behind as tears rushed down her face.

**_Nora was right about Trey. He was scared of something that he couldn't control. After his lifetime of being trained to control every aspect of his life, he came face to face with something new and, yes, wondrous. No matter how hard Trey tried to forget about Nora, he was always longing to see her and be with her. Over time, Try fell more in love with Nora and regretted what he said to her._**

Trey stood inside of an Eridium mine, watching the human slaves and their handlers. The mine was composed of long tunnels, large rooms, and giant deposits of Eridium. In these mines, humans were used to extract the natural Eridium chunks until nothing was left. Once mined, the Eridium was melted down and left as liquid for Eridians to carve into walls or shaped into bricks for transactions or put into storage. When the mines are completely dry, more humans are sent in to smooth out walls for more chambers the Eridians could use for a variety of uses.

Trey had his arms crossed, pretending to focus on keeping everyone in line but his mind was on Nora.

"*Did I tell you to stop?*"

Trey was brought out of his thoughts by the shout of an Eridian handler.

"*No no, I'm sorry...*" A human woman pleaded, "*I'm just really tired...*" All of the humans were dirty with messy hair and ratted clothes.

"*There are no excuses!*" The Eridian smacked the woman hard in the face.

She whimpered and held her hands up, "*I'm sorry!*"

A human man next to the woman immediately got in front of her, blocking her from the next blow.

The Eridian pulled back, "*Get back in your position!*"

"*No!*" The man shouted, "*Leave her alone!*" Blood poured out of the man's mouth.

The Eridian growled at the rebellious human and kept smacking and punching the man until he was on the ground. The woman began crying and placed her hands on the man, looking at his wounds.

Trey mirrored each emotion felt in the woman. He tried his best to ignore how sympathetic he was towards the humans. His whole life he was taught that humans were weaker and less important than the Eridians. Now with these new emotions, Trey started comparing himself to them more often.

He could act out of anger, he could cry, he could smile...

The Eridian handler grabbed the man and ripped him away from the woman. She cried out and tried reaching forward when the Eridian pushed her back, causing her to hit her head on the wall behind her.

As soon as her head came into contact with the wall, Trey saw the incident happen to Nora instead. Where the woman was, Trey saw Nora. She was crying out, tired, and now bleeding.

The handler started kicking the man, severely punishing the human for acting out. Mid kick, Trey grabbed the handler's shoulder, leaning over him threateningly.

"*Enough.*"

The handler looked up at Trey then down at the man, "*He needs to be punished.*"

"*You've done enough. You injured two workers and now you'll need to take them back to the stalls and send two more here.*" Trey ordered before walking off, doing his best to keep his anger a secret.

**_After many more encounters where Trey almost showed his emotions, he realized how much he needed Nora. He set off to find the love he thought he was never meant to have._**

**_But he was wrong..._**

Trey walked through Aci Cry, following each lead he gained about Nora's whereabouts.

Aci Cry was known for giant crystals that lined the walls and ceilings of the cavern. Some of these crystals were under the lake bed, showing their green tint through the clear water. These crystals were filled on the inside with a potent acid that was able to corrode through most objects. Aci Cry's waterfalls and lakes ran perfectly clear and there was large patches of grass in random spots. Vines fell from the top of rocky ridges high up in the cavern with white flowers sprouting along them.

Each Eridian he spoke to at the Aaryn Chamber all mentioned a hidden garden in Aci Cry. Trey was curious to say the least for he had never heard of such a place. After many hours of searching the cavern for a sign of Nora, Trey stopped by a large waterfall at the lake's edge. Out across the lake behind a giant rocky overhang was a little purple glow that radiated around the rock.

Trey looked around before stepping into the water, walking until he was forced to swim. Once across the lake, he walked up to the rocky overhang and placed his hand on the wall while moving behind the overhang. He ducked slightly to avoid hitting his head on the ceiling. Trey slowly passed under the waterfall, his eyes widening slightly at the wondrous garden hidden behind rock. The ceiling was filled with giant clear crystals and Eridium. The purple glow covering the ceiling was the only source of light in the entire area.

Trey walked forward to the edge of the top floor, stopping at the edge when he saw Nora. He felt completely breathless when his eyes landed on Nora. She sat in the middle of the garden, stroking the grass while watching green leaves fall from the giant tree near the lake.

It took a while for Trey to muster up the courage to walk down the stairs to his left. Trey's eyes were glued on Nora, never letting her out of his sight as he walked down each step.

Once his feet touched the grass, Nora turned her head slightly. She slowly smiled at the sight of Trey, sitting up off the ground.

Trey's heart pounded faster at each step he took to get closer to Nora. She stood completely still with a beautiful smile gracing her face, waiting until Trey stood right in front of her.

The two stared at each other for a while before Trey reached his hand forward, lightly brushing his fingertips against Nora's right cheek. She closed her eyes and grabbed onto Trey's wrist while leaning her face into Trey's hand.

"*I was hoping you'd come eventually...*" Nora whispered.

"*I'm sorry I took so long.*" Trey responded, moving closer to Nora so their bodies were barely touching.

Nora opened her eyes and looked up at Trey, "*You just needed time alone.*"

Trey shook his head, "*No, I was in denial... I've needed you for so long.*"

Nora laughed lightly as tears fell from her eyes, "*Can we make this work?*"

"*We'll find a way, I promise.*" Trey placed his free hand on Nora's upper back, pulling her close to place his forehead against hers, "*I don't believe in destiny... But I believe in this.*"

"*That's all I want.*" Nora placed her hands on Trey's shoulders, "*There's something that humans do... I want to try it.*"

Trey looked slightly confused, "*What?*"

Nora leaned up a little, pressing her lips against Trey's. Instantly, the contact sent shivers down the Eridians' spines and caused their emotions to go haywire.

Nora pulled away, "*They call it a... Kiss.*"

"*You speak... Human?*" Trey asked, slightly shocked at the intense emotion he felt from the kiss.

"*A bit...*" Nora trailed off

Trey stared at Nora for a moment, "*Kiss me again.*"

Nora smiled as she kissed Trey once more and he kissed back, pulling Nora close.

**_...Trey was always meant to love Nora..._**

* * *

**I admit, this was one of my favorite chapters to write. I love how Nora and Trey are.**

**Also side note that's semi important and may not get explained so I'll do it here:**

**Back when Eridians were basically rulers, they taught humans how to speak Eridian. Thus why the humans in the mines could speak it.**

**Haha "You speak Human." **


	41. An Eridian's Bedtime Story Part 2

**Oh man, here comes a really big reveal!**

**1.) First Clan is what Eridians call parents. Parents are chosen by the wise men to mate and continue clans.**

**2.) Reminder that ****Hillan ocean is in the Highlands.**

* * *

_**Trey and Nora continued to keep their love a secret while doing their best to avoid showing emotions. The two avoided suspicion countless times over the years.**_

_**Trey continued to embrace his feelings for Nora, leaving behind his heartless past so he could be with her. While he was supposed to be ruthless for the sake of his duties, he admitted to Nora that he didn't want to be who he was bred to be.**_

Trey laid on his back, staring up into the bright blue sky. He was surrounded by trees, grass, and small creatures that scurried about the area. A giant lake spread out before him with lily pads and fish in it. Trey closed his eyes and entered a serene state of mind. A smile crept across his face when he thought of Nora.

"*My my, you look happy today.*"

Trey opened his eyes to see Nora's face. She was standing in front of his head while leaning forward to look down at him.

"*Only because you're here.*" Trey responded while sitting up, catching Nora's lips in an upside down kiss while leaning up.

Nora giggled and moved to sit next to Trey, her body facing the opposite direction from him. Their bodies were parallel but his back was facing the forest and Nora's back was facing the lake.

Nora leaned into Trey as he wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly. She rested her head against his chest and closed her eyes, "*Have you asked the wise men, yet?*"

"*No.*"

"*Do you doubt they will tell you about your first clan?*" Nora asked while placing her hands on Trey's upper back.

"*To be honest, yes. They gain nothing from telling me.*" Trey answered, keeping his gaze on the glistening water.

"*They must understand that you're curious...*"

"*But where does that curiosity come from? I've never wondered about my first clan until after I met you. They'll have their suspicions.*" Trey pulled away from Nora slightly and grabbed onto her face, "*I have you, Nora. I don't need anything else.*"

"*Do you ever wonder why we need each other?*"

"*You're very curious today.*" Trey commented while kissing Nora's forehead.

Nora's eyes lowered slightly, "*Think about it, Trey. We used to be so different... We never needed each other until after we gained the ability of emotions. Why do emotions require us to be dependent on others? Do you think more of us will possibly evolve like we have?*"

"*I...*" Trey looked up and past Nora, "*I think about it a lot. There are no answers though. Maybe the other dimension will hold the answers we seek.*"

"*But we didn't gain emotions there. We gained them _here._*" Nora pulled Trey's face to look at her once more, "*There must be answers!*"

Trey smirked, "*I do enjoy how curious you are, but I'd rather just enjoy what we have right now.*"

Nora nodded, "*It's just hard to not wonder why we were chosen.*"

"*I wish I could answer all of your questions, my special one. There is one thing I can guarantee that I know indefinitely...*" Trey leaned close to Nora's face, "*Do you want to know?*"

"*Well, of course!*"

Trey placed a hand on the side of Nora's face and trailed it down her neck, "*Without you Nora... I'd be a monster.*"

_**Although Trey and Nora were able to keep their emotions a secret from the masses, it was only a matter of time before some would figure it out...**_

Nora sat on one of the stairs that was submerged in the waters of the Aaryn Chamber. She reached her hand forward and picked up a giant blue flower that was floating across the water's surface. The petals were long and curled under themselves and in the center was a plush yellow pad that was packed with pollen. Nora felt a petal between two of her fingers, admiring the velvet texture before placing it gently back into the water. Her eyes followed the flower before she slowly leaned forward and placed her head into the pool, splashing water down the back of her neck with her hands.

Nora came up for air and breathed out gently, "*Why have you been following me?*"

A black Eridian walked up from behind Nora, "*I'm here to send you a message.*"

Nora stood up and turned around to face him, "*And that is?*"

"*Stay away from Trey.*" He answered.

"*May I ask why?*"

"*_They_ know and don't want you distracting Trey from his job.*" The Eridian explained.

"*You can tell them it won't be an issue. He's still going to do his job.*" Nora turned back around.

"*They want you to go to another planet until we leave.*"

"*I will do no such thing.*" Nora argued stoically.

"*Either you depart or you'll be punished.*"

Nora closed her eyes and took a deep breath before facing the Eridian once more, "*They can't stop this.*" Nora walked up to him and held her arms out, "*Whether I leave or not, Trey's emotions won't cease. They will fail at their attempts to keep us apart.*"

The Eridian grabbed Nora's wrists tightly, "*There's only one place to keep something like you and you'll never escape.*"

_**That next day, Trey attempted to see Nora but found that she had vanished. Each day that went by, Trey searched for Nora. The lonely days wore down on Trey but he kept searching, hoping that one day they will be reunited. ****Four years went by and Trey never gave up. He knew that one day he would find his love.**_

Trey bowed down before the five wise men in their chambers. The wise men all stood at the top of the giant stair case in the middle of their chamber.

"*I know I have asked you this many times, Trey, but are you ready to protect your people?*" Melrich, asked.

Trey nodded, "*Yes. I am ready to do my job.*"

"*Then it is time to explain to you why we need a gatekeeper specifically for this other dimension.*"

"*With all due respect, I don't need to know. I will do my job no matter what.*" Trey responded, moving his head up to look at the wise men.

"*That is admirable of you, but we do need to explain.*" Scarx added, "*You will be left on this planet, alone.*"

Trey stood up completely.

"*This new dimension we've discovered... Is free of humans and could very well be the key to immortality. The only problem is that unexplainable phenomenons occur inside. We need to make sure you can keep the gate closed if something were to go wrong.*" Scarx explained, holding his hands together in front of himself.

"*You're going to take everyone with you?*" Trey asked.

Melrich nodded, "*We don't have enough power for multiple trips into this dimension. Odds are, we will all prevail beyond the gate with our masses. We will tear into the dimension with Eridium phylons, you will close it and keep anyone from entering or exiting without permission. When the time is right, you will open the tear again and allow us back into this dimension... If we need to return that is."

"*Are the rest of the colonies going?*"

Zell walked over to a pedestal beside them and grabbed onto the Vault Key to the war room, "*Yes. We will all convene on one ship and enter this other dimension... We will, however, leave behind two of the ultimate creations for you. If things get out of hand, you can either awaken the Destroyer or the Warrior."

"*Do you think I'll need to awaken them?*"

Melrich shook his head, "*There shouldn't be any one who will stop you. They are just a precaution. We can't afford any mistakes.*"

"*Is that all?*" Trey asked.

"*There is one more thing I need you to do.*" Melrich stepped down one giant stair towards Trey.

"*Anything.*"

"*We need you to go pick up some... Cargo for us for our journey.*"

Trey nodded again, "*From where?*"

"*Lyptus.*"

"*I'm sorry sir, but I don't understand...*"

"*Someone survived. We need you to pick them up so we may take them back with us into our society.*" Melrich explained, "*Can you do this for us?*"

"*Of course.*"

**_Lyptus was a mysterious cave where Eridians were sent to as a punishment for various crimes. No Eridian has ever come out of Lyptus so legends run wild about the mysterious cavern. Some believe Lyptus is a gateway to another world, others think there's a mystical monster inside that eats Eridians... Each legend tries to solve a question not even the Eridians can answer._**

**_Lyptus has been around since before anyone came into _****_existence and the mystery behind it has never been solved... And possibly will never be solved._**

Trey walked up to three Eridians that were guarding the opening to Lyptus. The giant cave disappeared into the ground of the rocky terrain next to Hillan ocean.

"*I'm here for the survivor.*"

One of the Eridians nodded and walked behind the giant jagged rock behind them. The Eridian came back, holding onto the arm of a pale white Eridian with a helmet around its head.

Trey took the other arm of the masked Eridian and nodded to the guards, "*The wise men thank you.*" Trey walked off with the Eridian, forcing it to walk across the rocky ground.

After a long trek of silence, Trey's curiosity grew to a unnerving point.

"*What happened to you in there?*"

The survivor did not respond.

Trey didn't say anything more about the subject. Over time, the rocky terrain turned into grassy fields and giant forests.

"*We'll rest here.*" Trey led the Eridian to a large tree and allowed it to sit down as he stood, watching.

"*You forgot about me...*"

Trey looked over at the masked Eridian, his heart pounding.

"*... Nora?*" Trey crouched down and pulled off the helmet on the Eridian.

**_The Eridian was indeed Nora... But she was different. After spending many years inside of Lyptus, her skin turned pale and her eyes and the colors of her cracks changed. The cave had changed not only Nora's appearance, but gave her a new perspective on life._**

Nora sighed, squinting her eyes against the sunlight. One of her eyes was clouded over, showing Trey that she was blind in that eye.

Trey breathed out, "*I never forgot about you Nora... You're the only thing that's been on my mind all these years.*"

"*You didn't come for me.*" Nora's voice was harsh and strained.

"*I tried to find you! What happened in there?*" Trey moved to touch Nora's face.

Nora moved her face back suddenly and hissed, "*Don't touch me.*"

"*Nora...*" Trey dropped his hand, hurt by her actions.

"*Lyptus... Showed me things. I... I'm not the same anymore.*"

"*What did it show you?*" Trey leaned forward a bit in concern.

"*The truth.*" Nora looked up and around at the scenery of the forest, "*Once our people leave, this planet won't be the same...*"

"*What do you mean?*"

"*There will be a blast once the ship enters the other dimension. We're not supposed to go there so the universe will retaliate with this blast... It'll kill almost everything here. Plants, trees, animals, even some humans will die.*"

"*_If_ we're not supposed to go, why would we be able to go through?*"

"*The universe... Destiny... Makes rules and gives us the option to either follow them or go against them. We're praised if we follow, punished if we disobey.*" Nora explained, pulling on the grass next to her out of nervousness.

"*Then tell me... What did we do to be different from everyone else?*" Trey choked on his words, "*What did you to deserve Lyptus?*"

"*We're not being punished... We're being blessed. We're the first Eridians to have emotions.*" Nora looked to the side, away from Trey's face, "*I was given something in return for being in Lyptus.*"

Nora looked at Trey and smiled. She moved her hand to the right and clenched her fist. Suddenly, a tree was ripped from the ground and vanished in a cloud of purple smoke.

Trey jumped from shock and looked to where the tree had been, "*What the...*"

"*Lyptus changed my name.*"

Trey moved his gaze back to Nora.

Nora reached forward and grabbed Trey's arm. He flinched as ice started covering his arm from Nora's touch.

"*It calls me The Icebringer.*"

* * *

**Dun dun dun! Nora was the first Siren ever! Whatcha guys think?**

**Also I apologize if the story of the Eridians jumps around a lot. I wanted it to be that way since there's only so much I want to reveal right now.**


	42. An Eridian's Bedtime Story Part 3

**I'm really nervous that I haven't received feedback about the Eridians. I'm a tad worried you guys don't like this.**

**I understand school has started for a majority of you so you'll be very busy. Whenever you guys have time, please send me a review or PM about your thoughts on these last few chapters. I need to know if this was a good part of the story or if you guys hated it. I mean, I wouldn't change it but feedback is always nice.**

**You can even just say "it was good" or "i hated it" or something small like that.**

* * *

"*Icebringer?*" Trey asked, looking at Nora in confusion.

Nora nodded, "*I... How long was I in Lyptus?*"

"*Four years.*" Trey answered.

"*I feel like I've been there for decades...*"

"*Nora, do you believe me? I have been searching for you.*" Trey reached forward and grabbed onto Nora's hands, intertwining his fingers with hers. As soon as Nora's skin touched Trey's, ice slowly made its way up Trey's arm. He pulled away from the pain of the sharp coldness that stung his skin.

"*It's not wise for me to touch you.*" Nora closed her eyes while looking down and away from Trey.

"*Please tell me what happened.*"

"*I was in the darkness for so long but I was saved by...*", Nora turned to look into Trey's eyes, "*... Sisters.*"

"*What? There are other survivors?*"

Nora shook her head and looked to the left, "*Ever since I was saved I've felt cold.*"

Trey noticed how Nora avoided certain questions and decided not to push it, "*The wise men are preparing to send everyone up to the Light Cell. They asked me to come take you to them.*"

"*They know you have emotions, Trey.*"

"*How would they-*"

"*They are the wise men. Nothing gets past them.*"

"*Did they send you to Lyptus because of our relationship?*" Trey asked while grabbing onto Nora's shoulders gently.

Nora ignored Trey's question, "*We shouldn't keep them waiting. I don't want you getting in trouble.*"

"*I don't want you to leave. I want you to stay here with me.*" Trey grabbed onto Nora's wrist, "*I'll tell them you attacked and I had to kill you or-*"

"*It won't work.*"

"*Yes, it will. If we just try hard enough...*"

"*I'm not the same anymore! My feelings have dulled... I'm not _me_.*"

"*Then what are you, Nora?!*" Trey pulled back angrily, "*Do you not love me anymore?*"

Nora paused and stared into Trey's eyes, "*I do still love you but I _can't_.*"

"*Don't ignore me. Tell me what you are now. Are you not Nora? Are you Lyptus playing a trick on my eyes and ears?*" Trey asked sternly.

"*As far as it concerns anyone, I only have a sliver of myself left and the rest of me is ice.*" Nora answered, "*Now, take me to the wise men and _don't_ see me off when we all leave.*"

Trey closed his eyes and nodded before standing up, "*I'm not going to deny that I will miss you, Nora. I just hope that you'll be happy in the other dimension.*"

_**Trey led Nora back to the wise men's chamber where they hid her away until the time to travel was upon them. After losing Nora for a second time, Trey finally buckled down and focused on his job. He was sent to execute humans for their crimes against Eridians, he trained young warriors, and he finally picked where he wanted to open the bridge...  
**_

"*We know Nora told you about our discovery of your emotions.*" Melrich stated calmly.

Trey looked down before nodding, "*I apologize to you all for keeping it a secret.*"

"*We understand how confusing it must have been for you.*" Zell responded while walking up to Trey and placing a hand on his shoulder, "*There are some things we need to tell you before we leave tomorrow.*"

Trey looked up, "*Do you know why I have emotions?*"

Zell shook his head, "*We cannot be sure why you have emotions and we all do not. However, we know you're curious about your first clan.*"

"*What happened to them?*" Trey asked while rising from the ground.

"*You never had first clan.*" Scarx answered.

"*W-What?*" Trey stuttered slightly.

"*We've been attempting to go to this other dimension for many years, Trey. On our latest attempt over thirty years ago, the initial blast created... A bridge.*" Scarx began explaining.

Zell removed his hand from Trey's shoulder, "*The bridge appeared before us for no more than a few seconds and a bright light took the bridge away. It left _you_. You were created from our attempt to open the dimension.*"

"*You were never born.*" Melrich added.

Trey swallowed, "*I...*"

"*We know it must be hard for you to take this all in, especially with human emotions. It was assumed at first that your emotions came because you were never born, but it doesn't explain how Nora gained emotions.*" Melrich explained further, "*It may be that emotions in Eridians are infectious and you spread it to Nora... There are no answers.*"

Trey closed his eyes, "*I will not argue with you on taking Nora, but may I make a request?*"

Each of the five wise men nodded at the same time.

"*I don't want to reopen the bridge at any of the spots you recommended.*" Trey opened his eyes and stared at each of the wise men, "*There's a place in Aci Cry. I want to sleep there.*"

_**The next morning, Trey was sent to Aci Cry to prepare himself to sleep after the gateway was opened before Light Cell. Each Eridian was sent from different colonies to convene there first while they waited for all of the shuttles to reach port. Nora's shuttle was one of the last to arrive for she was too dangerous to send in with the rest of the Eridians.  
**_

Nora sat alone inside of the small shuttle that was transporting her towards the Light Cell. The window in front of her showed the vastness of space and a faint glow of where the Light Cell was located. As the shuttle got closer to the expansive ship, she could see hundreds of shuttles flying in and attaching themselves into ports on the sides. Light Cell was a giant silver ship that was a hulking mass of metal with windows surrounding a good portion of its exterior. The hundreds or ports were the size of the smaller shuttles and allowed Eridians access into the docking station of the Light Cell. Long smooth wings came out from under the ship and spread out to the same length of the ship itself.

Once Nora's shuttle became attached to the port it was designed for, she stood up and walked over to the door to exit. She placed her hand where the mold was and attempted to open the door. When it wouldn't budge Nora called out, "*Hello! Anyone out there?*"

Nora leaned closer to the window of the door and looked around for any of the cargo Eridians. No one was around so Nora backed up and sat down again, waiting for someone to find her.

After a few hours, Nora felt the shuttle begin to shake. She stood up and grabbed onto the door, "*Phase Blast.*"

Nothing happened.

"*What?!*" Nora yelled out, "*Phase Blast!*"

The shuttle rattled more and more as Light Cell slowly made its way forward. The wise men activated the Eridium phylons and opened the giant portal to the other dimension.

"*No no no!*" Nora began pounding on the door, "*Don't make me go back!*"

When Light Cell was halfway through the portal, a purple blast erupted from around the ship. The blast forced Nora's shuttle to come loose from its port and go barreling through space. Nora grabbed onto handles that were on the ceiling of the shuttle and braced herself as the shuttle quickly made its way back to Pandora.

The blast from the ship made its way to Pandora, completely obliterating the forests and grass from Pandora. Most of its surface became desert and rocky mountains. A large majority of the animals and people were killed from the radiation and sheer heat from this energy.

When the blast entered Pandora's atmosphere, it pushed Nora's shuttle to speed up as it directed its way towards the rocky terrain above Aci Cry. Once the shuttle hit impact, it skidded across the rocky ceiling of the garden in Aci Cry and got stuck. The sudden force of the shuttle stopping threw Nora through the window and in through the opening in the ceiling. The force of her body hitting the ground broke multiple bones in her body and one punctured a few vital organs inside of her.

The acid crystals around Aci Cry fell down and burned away all plant life and most animals. The blast not only wiped the forest off of Pandora, but it caused earth quakes that destroyed the majority of the Eridians' chambers. The water in Aci Cry began to run pure acid as the crystals on the ceiling and underneath the water broke and released the acid inside of them. The Eridium from the ceiling turned the water into pure liquid Eridium and the once healthy tree absorbed that power and its leaves turned purple._**  
**_

After the destruction had taken place, Trey turned around from facing his case to see Nora on the ground. Terror completely filled his being as he ran over to Nora and gently propped her up under his arm.

Trey held onto Nora as she lay in his lap. Nora's blood covered his arms and legs, staining his gray skin red.

"*Nora! What happened?*" Trey cried out in anguished as he looked over Nora's broken form.

"*You must do me a favor, Trey.*" Nora coughed out, ignoring Trey's question.

"*Anything for you, Nora.*" Trey's voice cracked, grabbing onto Nora's hand. He did his best to ignore the ice creeping up his arm from the contact between him and Nora.

"*There will be a human woman with blue tattoos on her arm. She will be an Icebringer Siren... The first ever to have locks of purple.*" Nora explained, looking up at Trey.

"*Why are you telling me all of this?*" Trey asked.

"*She... Will be me as a human.*"

"*Wait, what? That doesn't make any-*"

"*My powers... Will split and go to human women... Eventually there will be one who is the closest to myself.*"

"*How do you know any of this?*" Trey asked, stroking Nora's cheek softly.

Nora ignored Trey's question, "*... I want you to spill her Eridium blood.*"

Trey breathed out, "I'm a-a gatekeeper... I'm not a killer anymore, Nora.*"

"*This is a part of your duty... Being a gatekeeper.*" Nora responded, closing her eyes.

"*The wise-men told me I was going to stop an apocalypse while they are away.*"

"*She _is_ the apocalypse. If you allow her to live, worlds will cease to exist.*"

"*But what about the others? I'm supposed to let them come bac-*"

"*There won't be any others if you allow her to live! Please, Trey...*" Blood trickled out from Nora's mouth.

"*Nora!*"

"*Promise me you'll do as I asked.*" Nora smiled as tears began to fall from her eyes.

"*How am I supposed... To... To find her?*"

"*Destiny will set forth a series of...*" Nora wheezed, "*... Events that will have her awaken you.*"

Trey held onto Nora tightly, "*Don't go. Please, I need you.*"

Nora reached up to touch Trey's face, but hesitated.

Trey grabbed her hand and held it to his face, ice slowly encasing his cheek, "*Why should I save this universe, if it's going to take you away from me?*"

Nora smiled, "*Because... It allowed us to love.*"

Nora's hand slipped from Trey's cheek, the ice disappearing as Nora's eyes closed.

"*End the suffering...*"

As Nora died in Trey's arms, he started shaking and crying. He leaned his head back and screeched in anger and sadness, "*NORA!*"

Trey looked back down at Nora and stroked her cheek gently. Over time, Nora's body began to crumble into dust starting from her feet and moving up her body. The power Lyptus bestowed upon Nora had disappeared and was taking her body with it.

Trey's lower lip quivered as Nora's face disintegrated and blew away in the wind with the rest of the ashes. Trey kept his arms spread out before him as if Nora was still in them.

Eventually Trey forced himself to stand up and walk to the river. He placed his arms into the water and washed away Nora's blood. He then turned to the case he was supposed to sleep inside of until the Eridians call for him. He walked up to the case and turned back around to where he had been kneeling.

He took a deep breath, "*I promise.*" Trey backed up into the purple film as it enveloped his form and locked him inside of the case.

**_Trey was granted sleep once his mind settled and he focused on Nora. He was never called upon by the wise men like how he had originally thought. Thousands of years later, Trey's heart jumped to life at the touch of the woman he was destined to kill. What Nora had predicted came true...  
_**

"I can feel its heart beating."

Trey's heart started pounding as a familiar feeling washed over him, "*_...Nora?_*" Trey stepped forward, pushing through the purple film. Trey felt grass brush against his feet as he stepped out of the case.

"Hello?"

Trey shot his eyes open, staring at the woman who spoke to him. Trey didn't understand what she said, but her voice reminded him of Nora.

"*You're the one I must kill?*" Trey asked, hesitant on whether he should attack or not.

The purple-haired human before him placed a hand over her heart.

"*You're the one I must kill?*" Trey repeated.

"We don't understand what you're saying." The woman spoke, looking around at the other humans around her.

Trey stared at the group for a while before slowly reaching his hand out to the woman in a gesture for her hand. She reached her hand forward and placed her hand in Trey's.

Trey led the woman to his side and placed his free hand on her forehead. Trey's eyes began to dull as he scanned everything about the woman before him. Trey saw everything from Leesa's past and present. He saw Dr. Lovett's experiments, her relationship with Handsome Jack, her friendship with the people in the Vault with her... He looked deep into her human soul and saw hidden memories of Nora inside.

Anger rushed Trey as what Nora said was confirmed. Leesa was the apocalypse and Nora was locked somewhere inside of her.

Trey wrapped his hand around Leesa's throat and lifted her into the air to be at his level. He stared into her eyes as she grabbed onto his arm to keep breathing.

"_Pathetic humans..."_

"Leesa!" Mordecai, shouted out as he took out his pistol and shot at Trey's head.

The bullet reflected away from Trey and hit Maya in her leg. She yelled out and crouched down while Zero spun around and grabbed onto her defensively.

Trey broke his stare with Leesa to look at Mordecai, "You don't know what you've done."

Trey tossed Leesa at Mordecai, "I'll be back for her."

_**Trey vanished from their sight but watched them as they talked about what happened. One of the abilities he had learned from the wise men was that he could infect humans and keep an eye on them.**_

_**He stayed inside of Leesa to make sure she didn't find a way to his people... And so he could stay close to Nora at all times. **_**_Trey had missed out on being with the Eridian that he loved and he wasn't going to miss out anymore..._**

**_However, this is not the end of their story._**

**_Trey went after Leesa once he knew the universe would allow him to kill her. Once the fight erupted, Trey couldn't beat Icebringer and he ended up dying himself._**

**_It seemed destiny had set things wrong. Leesa was the apocalypse and had to die; not Trey._**

**_But... This was wrong... When Trey was born from the first attempt at the Eridians' multi-dimensional travel, he became the bridge._**

**_Nora saw that if Trey did not die, _**_he _**_would bring about the end of the world if he brought the Eridians back._**

**_She knew that Trey would never attack someone who was capable of killing him without being provoked. _****_Nora used her dying breath to coerce her love to fight... Knowing he would die._**

**_She had tried her best to fight destiny by leaving Trey but it was useless. Nora didn't want to go down this path, but Lyptus had decided for her. _****_Destiny allowed them to love... And destiny forced Nora to start the domino that would lead to Trey's death._**

**_Even though this story ends for the Eridian who fell in love and died for a promise..._**

**_... This story is far from over..._**

* * *

**Well, what do you guys think of the Eridians' story?**

**I cried a lot when I wrote these chapters. I'm a very emotional girl and when it comes to stuff like this, I flip. Plus I know even more details about the story that is not relevant and may or may not show up in the sequel. It's a ton more depressing from my POV.  
**

**Also the song that perfectly describes this relationship is Clarity by Zedd. I've been writing chapters to songs and the next one was written to Arise by Flyleaf.  
**

**I have noticed that so far, my villains aren't pure villains. They're either misunderstood or had things happen to them to make them villainy. **

**So I am happy to announce that the villain in my sequel is PURE evil. There is no reason for them to be like they are, but there's complications involved cause of *censored due to spoilers*. **

**Read it whenever I start it and find out!**


	43. The End

**OMG we are here! The official ending to The Icebringer! Granted there's going to be at least three more chapters after this to lead up into Icebringer 2 but yeah. Ending's about to happen peeps!**

**Also thanks to those who gave me reviews! I know you guys are super busy but you guys pulled through for me by letting me know you guys are still here and you're still enjoying the story. You guys are so awesome and I couldn't wish for better followers/supporters!**

**OMG I might cry xD**

* * *

"We need to get Lilith out of here!" Maya yelled out while applying pressure to Lilith's wound with her hand.

Lilith breathed harshly, "I can't Phase Walk..."

Icebringer's eyes moved over to where Maya, Zero, Brick, and Lilith were. She moved her arm in their direction, "Enough of your whining."

Lilith vanished within a bright light that enveloped the entire area. Each Vault Hunter shielded their eyes while Icebringer stared straight ahead into the light that pierced through the other dimension. Tall lanky silhouettes surrounded the group, each one staring as Icebringer teleported everyone away from Oasis.

Once the light vanished, Brick looked down on his lap to discover Lilith was missing. Still in the center of everyone was Icebringer hovering above the ground and Trey's body. The group was back at the garden inside of Caustic Caverns where they had awoken Trey many months ago.

"Where's Lilith?" Brick asked while standing up.

"She is with your doctor." Icebringer simply answered before turning around to float past Mordecai and towards the giant tree. She placed her icy hand on the trunk of the tree, brushing against the rough texture.

"Why did you bring us here?" Zero stepped forward in front of Maya.

Icebringer never turned to look at him, "This is where the bridge must open."

"The bridge? To what?" Salvador asked while putting away his gun.

"The Eridian's home. Trey is the bridge that links this dimension to the other. The one Sirens gain their powers from..." Icebringer explained in a monotone voice.

"Who exactly are you?" Mordecai asked. His mind was racing at the stoic being before him. He knew Leesa was still inside of all that ice but there was a darkness stirring beneath the surface. Icebringer's appearance sent shivers down his spine in fear, but she had an appeal of beauty about her as well.

Icebringer turned and smirked, "Let's hope you never find out." The ice around Icebringer cracked and flew off in tiny shards that glistened in the morning light. The darkness had quelled, leaving Leesa's form untouched. She fell to her knees and held her head while Leesa's eyes returned.

"Ugh. What happened?" Leesa asked while looking up at the group.

Mordecai ran to Leesa and pulled her into a hug, "Icebringer killed Trey."

Leesa touched Mordecai's neck lightly, "Are you okay?"

Mordecai smiled and nodded.

"Are you guys alright?" Leesa asked, looking over each of her friends.

"Yeah, we're good." Maya responded, "Icebringer teleported Lilith to Zed."

"She was... Unusually nice." Salvador added.

"Bizarre." Leesa looked down, "Why are we here?"

"Icebringer-" Maya was cut off when the sound of thunder echoed inside of the Vault.

"What the hell?!" Brick spun around while looking for the source of the noise.

Leesa's eyes landed on Trey, "Oh my..." She reached over slowly and grabbed Mordecai's hand which caused him to look in her direction.

A giant tear pulled apart Trey's chest until he was split open completely. Small purple lights and bright stars floated from the tear and moved their way around the garden. The Eridium river and waterfall radiated brightly as the leaves on the giant tree fell off and piled up on the ground below the branches.

Maya's wings of fire appeared as her tattoo lit up. She looked down at her arm and yelled, "What the fuck?! I'm not even doing anything!" Maya could feel the energy in her body intensify much like Lilith feels when absorbing Eridium to enhance her powers.

The tear pulled apart Trey's body until nothing of him was left. The wind in the Vault picked up and tossed the leaves into the air around the Vault Hunters like a tornado that resembled a wall of blurred purple.

Leesa pushed back her flowing hair, "We need to close the tear!"

"How?!" Salvador shouted back.

A loud screech shook the ground as a large claw shot through the tear and gripped into the ground. Everyone pulled out their weapons while Maya raised a shield. Salvador ran over to Maya to hide behind her barricade.

The head of a large skag appeared from the tear, growling and snarling for freedom. Its head was bigger than Skagzilla's and its eyes were a deep red. The cracks in its coarse skin shot out small bursts of fire every time it growled. The claws were long and curled like giant hooks and thick thorns protruded from the sides of its head.

Zero took aim and shot a bullet through the right eye of the giant skag. It released a loud howl that caused flames to shoot out and ignite parts of the grass in the garden.

The skag kept digging into the ground with its claw to drag itself from the tear which was too small for its body.

"Leesa, do something!" Maya cried out as she shot at the skag. Her bullets did little to no damage to the rough hide around its face.

"It's not from here! Our powers are useless against it!" Leesa responded as Mordecai grabbed her arm and pulled her back towards the edge of the leaf tornado.

Brick ran around Maya's shield and jumped onto the skag's head, barely dodging its sharp fangs. He dug his fingers into the giant cracks and used his spiked brass knuckles to block the flames from his skin. He used one hand to hold onto the skag's thrashing head while the other one was pounding against its hide.

"Come on you fucker!" Brick yelled out as he continued to punch, beat, and pound the skag's head. All of Brick's attempts were failing to harm the skag, but he was able to keep angering it.

Mordecai pulled off a grenade from his hip, "Keep its mouth open, Brick!"

Brick moved forward on the skag's head and sunk his fingers into the cracks closest to its nose. He sat up and pulled as hard as he could, lifting up the top of the skag's mouth. Once the mouth was open enough, Mordecai ran forward and tossed the grenade through the skag's mouth and straight down its throat.

Brick released his fingers and jumped off the skag's head. A muffled explosion was heard as the skag cried out and released its claws as it slowly fell back into the tear.

"What else is going to come through there?" Zero asked as he reached out and grabbed Maya to hug her tightly.

As Leesa looked over at Maya and Zero a deep tingling feeling entered her chest and filled her lungs.

_Close it._

Leesa shuddered as the feeling in her chest turned ice cold at the sound of Icebringer's voice in her mind.

_You can save them._

Leesa shook her head as the tear slowly began to open up more.

_I can help you._

She took a deep breath, "I can close it."

"How?" Mordecai asked while staring at Leesa while she looked forward at the tear.

Leesa closed her eyes at the final words Icebringer spoke to her. She reopened her eyes and narrowed them in determination, "I have to stay in that dimension."

"What?!" Maya yelled out from Zero's arms.

"No! You're not going in _there!_" Mordecai argued. He grabbed onto Leesa's arms and forced her to look at him, "There's another way."

"If you have any other ideas, I would love to hear them, Mordecai!" Leesa fiercely fought, "I _have _to do this otherwise the Eridians will come back and we will all be screwed!"

"I'm not losing you!" Mordecai yelled out, "There has to be another way!"

Leesa shook her head as tears fell down her face, "There is no other way."

Mordecai looked at Leesa in distraught, "No... I can't let you-"

Leesa cut Mordecai off by grabbing his face and kissing him passionately.

She slowly pulled away and whispered, "I love you."

"Don't do this..."

Leesa moved away from Mordecai but was pulled back when he grabbed onto her arms. She quickly phased through his grasp and teleported away from Mordecai. Leesa reappeared hovering above the dimension with her wings spread out wide, "I'll miss you guys..."

Everyone looked on in shock as Mordecai ran over to the tear while Leesa's wings vanished and she fell through the tear. He skidded across the ground and reached his arm out in an attempt to grab onto Leesa. His hand grasped nothing as the tear faded quickly once Leesa was trapped inside of it. All at once the leaves fell from the tornado as the wind ceased and all of the lights that came from the tear vanished.

Mordecai punched the ground when he heard Leesa whisper "Phase Terror" before the tear vanished.

"LEESA!" Mordecai cried out as his voiced cracked.

Maya buried her head into Zero's chest as tears streamed down her face. Zero held onto Maya and rubbed the back of her head while looking away from Mordecai. Salvador dropped his gun and looked at the ground while Brick slowly walked up to Mordecai and grabbed onto his shoulder.

Mordecai continued to pound on the ground until he slowly stopped and began trembling, "... Leesa..."

* * *

**This... Is the end of Icebringer 1. Leesa sacrifices herself to close the tear and keep the Eridians and other creatures away from Pandora. **

**On a bright note: Leesa LOVES Mordecai!**

**On a dull note: Leesa's gone. Or is she? Hmm. Find out in the sequel~~~!**

**One more thing: The next chapter is an "after the end" kind of thing that leads into the Epilogue. Then there will be the full Synopsis that will be super long. **

**Then it'll be on to the sequel! I'm super excited! **


	44. After the End

**This chapter may be a bit out of place or confusing but it will clear up at the end of it.**

* * *

Darkness... That's all that has ever existed in this place. After being in the darkness for so long, a light began breaking through. It filled the endless void and warmed those graced by it.

"Where... Where am I?"

A bright yellow light shined before dull eyes.

"What's going on?"

_"Hello." _From within the light, a woman's form appeared. All these eyes could see was hair flowing around the form, a white dress, and bright colorless eyes.

"Are you an angel?"

_"No no... I'm far from an angel."_

"Who... Are you?"

_"Who I am doesn't matter now. Who you are matters... Do you remember anything?"_

"I... I can't think back. All I remember is darkness."

_"You've been lost for a very long time, weary soul."_

The woman suddenly smiled which caused the light to dim enough to show more of her face. Her skin was lightly tanned and her colorless eyes showed genuine happiness in them.

"Why are you here?"

_"All of your questions will be answered, but I want to know... Do you want to come back?"_

"Come back where?"

The woman stopped smiling, _"I have the ability to alter time and space within this realm you have been locked inside of. You can come back to those you love."_

"I... "

_"I know this is hard to take in, but all will be revealed once you come back to the right realm. You were an unnecessary casualty along with many others... But you must come back in order to save those you care about from a future threat."_

"Please... Tell me who you are."

The woman's eyes grew sad, _"I am many things... A lover, a fighter... An entity. I know you don't remember much at all, but I'm locked in a dimension with the Eridians. I'm keeping them away from Pandora."_

"P-Pandora..."

_"You remember Pandora, don't you?"_

"I can see... Faces... Red hair..."

_"You'll see them in person very soon, if you allow me to take you there."_

"Have I met you before? On Pandora?"

The woman shook her head, _"No. I was... Asleep for a very long time. I woke up when you were already gone."_

"You said I was a casualty..."

_"Yes, you are dead."_

"Then how can you bring me back?"

_"I have the ability to reverse time around your form and bring you back to life... You'll be how you were right before you died, but in normal time. But, I want your permission before I do such a thing."_

"How can I save these people?"

_"When you were taken, you left behind broken hearts... You can mend these hearts, lead them into battle, and save Pandora once more."_

"Why me, though? You said you've never met me..."

_"I do have someone who I would love to bring back... My daughter. But, everyone needs you the most. I cannot put my wants over their needs."_

"You care about these people too..."

_"Very much so."_

"I... Want to help them."

_"You'll come back?"_

"...Yes. I want another chance."

_"Before I bring you back, I want to tell you a story..._

_"There were four vault hunters in the beginning, each one on the planet of Pandora for different reasons. They stood together and took on multiple challenges to find the Vault. When they did, however, they were faced against the Destroyer, a monster powerful enough to destroy multiple dimensions..._

_"The vault hunters prevailed and grew attached to their new found home of Pandora. Within many years, a new foe appeared, ripping apart families and burning homes. His greed and personal demons expanded and enveloped Pandora in fear and distraught. He sought to awaken the Warrior, a weapon left behind by Eridians that could cleanse Pandora of everything. Another set of four vault hunters arrived and fought alongside the original four. After a lot of time and death, the vault hunters destroyed the Warrior and attempted to kill the man behind everything..._

_"Handsome Jack escaped though and started a whole new journey. The vault hunters met his wife who was a victim of her husband as much as they were. She made her way into their hearts and became a part of their family. During this tale, Jack finally succumbed to a justified death and everyone believed that would be the last of any evil... But Jack was not the destined villain._

_"An Eridian named Trey had been put in a unfavorable situation and became the ultimate villain. He was an apocalypse in disguise and held back the rest of the Eridians in the dimension I am locked inside of. If the Eridians were allowed back into our dimension, they would cause widespread slavery, death, and suffering._

_"In order to keep the gate closed which opened upon Trey's death, I had to stay behind and leave my new friends and the man I love... I see the hurt they are experiencing after losing another loved one. I can bring at least one being back without sacrificing the powers I need to keep the Eridians at bay. I wanted to bring you back because I see that you will be the most helpful in the future to come._

_"Destiny set ordered events that brought everyone together. Everything that has happened in our lives have never been coincidence, I see that clearly now. Some will not believe this but I need _you _to believe it... Destiny is allowing me to bring you and for that, I thank it._

_"I do realize how confusing all of this is to you but when I bring you back, you will see everything. All of the events that happened after your death will become clear._

_"The Destroyer, the Warrior, Jack, and Trey may be gone but there will be another villain rising... There will also be more problems to face and the vault hunters need something positive... They need their leader back."_

"Why does my chest hurt?"

_"You're starting to remember."_

"I see fire and I can smell lavender and gun powder."

_"Who do you think of?"_

"L-Lilith..."

_"That's it! Remember it all now!_

"I miss her... I miss everyone."

_"They've missed you terribly."_

"I didn't mean to leave them."

_"They know. All they want is to see you once more."_

Tears rushed out of the brown eyes, "I want to go back home."

The woman smiled and reached out her hand, _"So come back home... Soldier."_

Roland reached his hand forward slowly and grabbed onto the woman's hand, holding it tightly. Roland's heart ached at feeling another person's presence after being locked in darkness for so long.

_"Tell your friends that Leesa sent you."_

"Thank you... Leesa."

Once Roland mentioned Leesa's name, he was thrown into the story of what happened after his death. He witnessed it all... The trials his friends had to face without him, the multiple deaths, the struggles and fights between the group...

Eventually, Roland's eyes focused in on the bright blue sky above him. He was slightly saddened that Leesa's tranquil form had been replaced by an endless sky. After his mind caught up with all of the events, Roland was brought back into Pandora. His muscles ached at being back alive and his heart pounded at the words he brought with him... Words Lilith had spoke...

_**"I need you, Roland..."**_

Hearing her voice pushed Roland to stand up. He fell back to the ground from his muscles being so weak. He looked up into the sky and took in multiple deep breaths.

Roland forced himself to stand up once more. He stood tall and turned around, remembering his surroundings from his travels on Pandora. He smiled as Sanctuary floated in the bright sky, "I'll be there soon Lilith, I promise."

* * *

**I'm beyond worried that you guys will be mad that I brought a character back from the dead.**

**This was planned since the beginning. I was going to bring back Roland and Bloodwing in the original way where Leesa showed up way sooner within Borderlands 2's story. Since (I believe I mentioned this before) I changed this story to be AFTER Borderlands 2, I had to change and tweak a lot of things.**

**This was one of the changes. I hope you guys are okay with this because Roland is important to the sequel.**

**Since I forgot to explain the ultimate powers Leesa/Icebringer has, I'll explain them here:**

**1.) Phase Time (Which Leesa just used now) is the ability to reverse time. If the Icebringer Siren is powerful enough, she can target one single person and reverse time JUST around that person. Everything else will be normal but that ONE person would be affected.**

**If the Siren is EVEN MORE powerful, she can use this ability to bring someone back from the dead. The sequel will explain how Leesa was powerful enough to be able to accomplish this.**

**2.) Phase End is basically the ability to instantaneously kill someone from inside of their mind. It can be a clean kill like Icebringer did to Trey or it can be messy like an explosion which was what Icebringer did to Wynonna. **


	45. Epilogue

**Wow. I can't believe we're here. The official epilogue to The Icebringer 1! This will lead into the sequel and I'm so happy this is almost done! YES!**

**So much stuff is going on in this chapter that will be answered in the sequel so hold tight!**

* * *

"I know what I heard." Mordecai argued with Tannis and Zero in the meeting room, "She said Phase Terror."

"Mordecai," Tannis sighed, "We can't go after her."

Mordecai placed his hands down on the table in front of him and leaned forward, "Don't you get it? She is trapped in her nightmares. Not only does she have to deal with those _things_ she has to worry about her own mind!"

"I am capable of basic understanding, Mordecai." Tannis crossed her arms, "What _you're_ not understanding is that the last time Leesa used Phase Terror she transformed into Icebringer."

"She's right Mordecai. It may not even be Leesa in the other dimension now." Zero added.

"I don't care!" Mordecai slammed his fist onto the table, "Every time Leesa has been Icebringer she has _never_ attacked us! There's always been a part of her inside of Icebringer."

"When Leesa saved Tina, she was only in Phase Terror for a few minutes. It's been almost a day." Zero explained, "I want her back too, Mordecai, but it may not be safe."

"She won't hurt us!" Mordecai yelled, "She'll be Leesa. I know she will be."

Zero shook his head, "There is no guarantee..."

"Do you even care, Zero?!" Mordecai walked around the table to get his face right in front of Zero's mask, "You're not acting like you were ever her friend!"

"I do-"

"Then stop arguing with me! We're finding a way to get Leesa back!"

Tannis stepped forward, "It's not wise-"

"I don't care what's wise! I'm not leaving Leesa in that place!" Mordecai turned to Zero and grabbed onto the front of his outfit, "Are you going to fucking help me or are you going to be a dick about this?!"

"Maya's pregnant." Zero stated simply.

Mordecai released the front of Zero's suit while looking at him in shock.

"I'm not just protecting Maya. I'm protecting our child. I know you love Leesa and you're ashamed of not telling her before she left, but I will not let Icebringer _anywhere_ near Maya." Zero brushed his shoulder against Mordecai as he walked out the door.

Mordecai dropped his arms and looked down at the ground, "Icebringer wouldn't... Kill a mother, would she?"

"Icebringer is a complicated being, Mordecai. I... I'm not sure if she even exists." Tannis started, "Leesa may just be bi polar or schizophrenic."

Mordecai shook his head, "No... Icebringer is definitely something else. Leesa is nothing like her."

"Leesa meditated for over three months to keep Icebringer at bay. Yet, it didn't work. Icebringer always comes out whenever Leesa in distress like a guardian angel or some other religious term. However, Leesa has mentioned that Icebringer has her own agenda and she knew the Eridian as if they were together many years ago. I honestly thought I could provide some answers after observing Leesa and running tests but... Icebringer is beyond any of us. I don't know _what_ is inside of Leesa."

Mordecai clenched his fists, "Can you just keep looking for ways to enter the other dimension? I'll go in by myself if I have to."

Tannis nodded and walked over to Mordecai. She raised her hand and paused before hesitantly placing it on Mordecai's shoulder, "You need to rest."

Mordecai looked over at Tannis, "Thank you." He turned around and walked out of the room. On his way down the stairs, he saw Axton coming up the stairs.

Axton grew nervous as he approached Mordecai, "Dude, I am so sorry. I didn't think-"

Mordecai held up his hand, "It's not your fault. Glad to see you up and about." Mordecai patted the back of Axton's shoulder while continuing down the stairs.

Axton turned his head to watch Mordecai exit the HQ before heading up into the meeting room.

"You called?" Axton asked while walking over to sit down at the table.

Tannis held open a folder and was flipping through some papers. She looked over and closed it, "I ran the numbers Lilith gave to me. She told me to tell you anything I find out about them."

Axton shifted in his seat, "Yeah, you found something?"

"Something curious that's for sure." Tannis reached into her folder and pulled out a sheet of paper. She placed it on the table and slid it over to Axton.

He picked it up and looked it over before placing it back down on the table, "They're coordinates?"

Tannis nodded, "30.39248. are the coordinates of a planet called Menoetius."

"The planet Brick is from?" Axton asked, "Why would my ex-wife have this tattooed on her arm?"

"I don't have any answers for that but when I typed in the coordinates and the planet came into view on my screen, it was a still picture." Tannis pulled out another piece of paper and handed it to Axton.

On the paper was a Menoetius which was a giant planet with orange and reds swirling around on its surface. Giant patches of green and blue were place around the top and bottom of the planet's view with all of the orange and reds in the center. A bright purple square pinpointed a certain portion of the planet on the top by the green section.

"My computer automatically targeted a portion of the planet. Within that square are a few towns and cities that have no prior connection to you, or most of your ex wife's names. However, the name Kirsten has been recorded there many times in transactions at stores. Since we don't know Kirsten's last name, there's five different ones that are in the system. No picture identification for any of them, but there were cameras in one of the stores all five went into." Tannis sat down on a chair across from Axton and opened her folder to pull out five large photos of different women.

Axton looked over each one before picking up one with Sarah on it, "This is her. She looks like how she did a couple of years ago. Why would she use the name Kirsten again?"

"I have no answers for that either. You should consider going to Menoetius and start looking for whatever it is your ex-wife wanted you to find there." Tannis answered while grabbing all of her papers and placing them in order in the folder.

Axton nodded, "I appreciate you looking into this for me, Tannis. Thanks." Axton stood up, "Have you seen Brick?"

oOOOOOOOOo

Mordecai closed the door behind himself and leaned his back against it. He looked up at the ceiling and sighed before he wandered through his house aimlessly. He made his way to his kitchen and grabbed a bottle from the counter. He tried to drink from it but it was empty. He looked at the bottle and noticed a rolled up piece of paper inside at the bottom. Mordecai held it upside down and shook it until the paper fell out and landed on the counter.

He picked it up and unrolled it to find Leesa's hand writting on it:

_If you need to talk about it. Come to me._

_Don't rely on the bottle because it won't solve your problems._

_You shouldn't cut your life short... I want to be with you for a long time, if you let me._

_Love, Leesa._

Mordecai dropped the note and opened up his liquor cabinet to discover all of his bottles were empty with notes at the bottom of them. He looked down at the note and gripped onto the bottle closest to him. His body shook as he spun around and threw the bottle at the wall while screaming out in anger.

Mordecai slid down against the counter until he was sitting on the floor with his head in his hands. He stared at the shattered glass across the room from him for a while as he thought about Leesa. A few hours went by before Mordecai jumped up when he heard a thud coming from his room.

Curious, Mordecai walked up the stairs and opened the door to his room. The room was just as he left it after he and Leesa fought. His heart ached when he saw some of Leesa's clothes thrown about on the floor. He smiled though when he thought about how she was awful with taking care of her laundry. Mordecai walked across his room, picking up each piece of clothing and placing them on his bed. He stopped when he noticed another note on his bed and a weird powdery substance on his blankets. He touched the powder with his fingers and looked at it closely while a sense of deja vu struck him.

Mordecai then picked up the note and read each line:

_Mordecai,_

_I'm sorry about how weird I've been acting lately. I just have a lot going on right now that sometimes I forget that you're still coping with your own problems. I wish I could help you more, but I know I cannot mend these wounds. _

_I may not have been directly responsible for what happened to you but I am a symbol to that pain. I think it's for the better that I leave Pandora. There's too much pain for me here and there's too much for you either. _

_I should say goodbye properly, but I know if I did you'd either come with me or try to stop me like you said the night we got together. I can't expect you to leave with me and you can't expect me to stay and hurt you further._

_But I can't leave you by yourself. You weren't mended by your friends before I showed up or maybe you were and I reopened your wounds. I will never know this, but I do know you need someone with you. You can't heal without others around you and you sure as hell can't be healed by drinking. _

_I can't really explain how I found you this gift for I don't even really remember how I knew where it would be. But, I'm positive you'll know how to take care of it._

_I don't expect anything or anyone to replace the holes in your heart but maybe you can make some room for others... If you've just finished reading this, then I really did leave. If I chicken out then there's no worries. I got to the note in time so you wouldn't read it. Which means I decided to stay and be here with you._

_But, I can't be selfish and stay here when you're hurting. I know we haven't been together for long, but I'd do anything for you Mordecai._

_Goodbye and... I love you._

_Leesa._

Mordecai looked up from the paper and took a raspy breath. He walked over to the dresser by his bed and took a pen off the top of it. He scribbled a small note on the back of the paper with Leesa's message on it, "_No matter what happens, you need to find Leesa. Don't give up._" Mordecai took the note and shoved it into the pocket of his pants.

Mordecai turned around when he heard a rustling sound. His eyes landed on a basket that was filled with Leesa's clothes and a few of his own. Some of the clothes were being moved around in the basket. Mordecai slowly walked over to the basket, grabbed onto the shirt on top, and then pulled it off to reveal what was inside.

Bundled up in the clothes was a baby Hawnks that resembled Bloodwing. She looked up at Mordecai with big brown eyes and cooed softly. The fur around her neck was a dark red while her body was still gray and brown.

Mordecai felt his heart tear open at the sight of the Hawnks. She cocked her head to the side before squawking excitedly and flapping her wings. Mordecai smiled and knelt down, "Hey, girl." He reached out and picked up the baby Hawnks to hold her close to his neck. The Hawnks cooed more and nuzzled her head against Mordecai's neck where his burns were. He winced slightly but kept the bird there, "I can't believe Leesa found a Hawnks..."

Mordecai grabbed onto one of Leesa's green shirts and wrapped the baby in it to keep her warm. He turned to look at the powder on his bed and smiled, remembering how Hawnks eggs burst into powder when they break free. Mordecai then took a deep breath, "Let's go find your mommy."

oOOOOOOOo

That night, Lilith sat on a bench by the news stand. Her hand was placed on her side over the bandage Zed wrapped around her waist. She looked down at the ground and whispered to herself, "What are we supposed to do now?"

"Pick things up where we left off."

Lilith's heart stopped as she swung her head up to see Roland standing in front of her. He smirked at her, "Hey, Lilith."

A tear fell from her left eye, "Damn Zed and his strong ass medication." Her voice cracked slightly, "This is the first time I've..."

Roland crouched down in front of her, "I'm really here." He reached forward and brushed a hand across Lilith's cheek.

Lilith breathed in deeply at the contact, "S-So, how have you been?" She asked nervously while her shoulders shook slightly.

"I'm not a hallucination. Leesa brought me back." Roland explained, "I'm here for good."

Lilith's eyes widened as she jumped forward and into Roland's arms, allowing her tears to fall. "Roland!"

Roland hugged Lilith tightly, "I'm here... I'm not leaving again." He looked up at the starry sky and took a deep breath, taking in the smell of lavender and gunpowder.

_... Thank you, Leesa..._

**The End.**

* * *

**This was such a journey and I hope you guys have enjoyed this story!**

**Notes: It is neither confirmed or denied that Bloodwing is a name Mordecai gave to his bird or if it's the species of the bird itself. **

**I thought that would be very confusing so I call Bloodwing's species Hawnks which is pronounced like honks. I'm so creative, right? Hahaha**

**There is speculation that Bloodwing is a Trash Feeder which I can see but I decided to make Hawnks a part of the family of Rakks. Hawnks are more domesticated (they are endangered though) but loyal birds. Trash Feeders are more aggressive but only when one of their own is attacked. Rakks are kind of weird. Like I can be killing skags and the Rakks will automatically attack me and sometimes they won't. Rakks are sort of in between I guess.**

**Also Bloodwing's species start off as one gender and halfway through their life, they switch to another. Bloodwing started out as a girl and then changed to a boy. I'm keeping this but I'm making all Hawnks start out as girls and then switch over to boys.**

**"Let's go find your mommy" seemed so out of character for Mordecai but when I hear his voice say it, it's adorable. I needed to put that there. xD**

**Now let's talk about the sequel and crossover story a little bit:**

**Here's some reasons you SHOULD read the sequel:**

**1.) Find out more about Eridians**

**2.) Explore the other dimension**

**3.) Find out what's on Menoetis and why Seven wanted Axton to go there.**

**4.) I'll explain why Zero saw hands on certain characters' shoulders in Chapter 35**

**and**

**5.) Everyone will find out what's happening with Leesa/Icebringer**

**Plus there's more May0 in the sequel!**

**Here's some reasons you SHOULD read the crossover story:**

**1.) Find out more about Leesa's past including her father, her relationship with John Locke, and some things she went through on Pandora before meeting the Vault Hunters.**

**2.) See the connections between Leesa and Joey from The End of a Journey and a Start of a New One by browniej126. There's a ton of stuff going on there! Also, you'll get to know more about Joey!**

**3.) You'll experience what happened within the 7 months after Jack's death.**

**4.) It will show how Leesa found a baby bird for Mordecai and why she can't remember where she got it from.**

**and**

**5.) See more about the stalkers and what happened to them. You'll also get to see what the stalkers want from Leesa.**


End file.
